


A Mutual Arrangement

by SailorChibi



Series: Lovesquare Ficlet Collection 2019 [6]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Needs a Hug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Identity Reveal, Adrinette, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - BDSM, BDSM, Blow Jobs, Cuddling, Cunnilingus, Dom/sub, Dom/sub Play, Dominant Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, F/M, First Kiss, Hair Pulling, Identity Reveal, Kissing, LadyNoir - Freeform, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Identity Reveal, Miraculous Side Effects, Miraculous Tendencies, Non sexual submission, Oblivious Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Phone Sex, Plagg Is So Done, Restraints, Secret Identity Reveal, Sex, Sex Toys, Sexting, Sub Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Subspace, Vaginal Sex, sexy restraints
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-10-13 09:30:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 32,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20580284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: When Chat and Ladybug start up a new arrangement, everything seems like it’s going to work put - at first. Chat is closer to what he’s always wanted than he’s ever been, so why can’t Adrien stop paying attention to his adorable classmate?30 connected Smutember ficlets.





	1. Snuggles

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Smutember 2019. I’m going to be playing catch-up as I’m behind. Not every chapter has sex, but I feel that’s a fair trade off considering I’m a) starting late and b) trying to do a cohesive fic for once.

“Bonsoir, My Lady,” Chat said with forced cheerfulness, alighting on the rooftop.

Ladybug didn’t turn to look at him. “Bonsoir, _Chaton_,” she said very quietly.

“What’s wrong?” Chat asked, eyebrows furrowing as he took a seat beside her. His initial alarm only deepened when Ladybug leaned towards him, closing the distance between their shoulders until they were touching.

“I’m just…” Ladybug trailed off and made several meaningless gestures at the air, as though that would magically conjure the right words.

He waited patiently. Sometimes getting the right words out wasn’t always that easy, and he’d learned that Ladybug needed time and space to finish her thoughts. Hell, they both did.

“Tired, I guess,” Ladybug said finally. “Except it’s not the kind of tired that sleep can fix.” She sighed and rubbed a hand over face. “You know what I really want?”

“What?” Chat asked softly.

“I want to go into subspace.”

The bluntness of that statement shocked him silent momentarily. He and Ladybug rarely talked about their orientations. She was a sub, he knew: he was the _only_ person who knew that aside from their kwamis. It was information he guarded with his life. Their suits gave them some protection, but he never wanted to see how much a dom could influence her against her will.

“Well… can’t you?” Chat asked, looking over at her. He took in the circles under her eyes and the tightness of her frown and immediately knew how she was feeling. That pinched, restricted, prickly feeling that dogged him day and night.

He hated seeing that feeling reflected in Ladybug’s eyes.

“How?” she asked bitterly. “No one knows I’m Ladybug. What if I say the wrong thing? I go deep, you know. Or I used to…” She pulled her knees up against her chest with a longing sigh. “And what if I need to come out fast because of an akuma? What if I try to eat flowers, or get too cold, or -”

“I get it,” Chat said, laying a hand on her shoulder. “I’m feeling it too.”

She relaxed a little, peeking over at him. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. In my civilian life… I don’t get to make too many decisions. My father calls all the shots. The older I get, the more it gets to me. I think he was hoping I’d be a sub so I would stay nice and easy to control, like when I was a kid.” Chat scoffed at the thought.

“It’s hard. He never talks about me being a dom. He doesn’t want to acknowledge it. So I never get to… to do _anything_, you know? I can’t even decide what I’m gonna have for breakfast tomorrow. I have so little control over anything and I just… I wish I had someone to take _care_ of,” he said emotionally. “It feels like I’m choking sometimes, keeping all this locked up inside me.”

There was an obvious answer here, but Chat wasn’t sure he was brave enough to bring it up. Ladybug had always been adamant about not feeling the same way towards him, and he didn’t want to rock that boat. He glanced at her beneath lowered lashes.

To his surprise, she was staring right at him. Her expression hovered somewhere between wistful and thoughtful. Their eyes met and they looked at each other for a long time, at first silently sizing the other up, and then with deepening consideration.

“What do you think?” Ladybug said finally.

Chat shrugged. “It could work… maybe. If you’re comfortable…”

“I can’t think of anyone I’d be more comfortable with,” she admitted.

“Me too. And sex -”

“I’m okay with it if you are. But that’s as far -”

“As it goes, yeah, I know. No relationship.”

“Exactly, and no questions about identities. I mean it, Chat.”

“I would never,” he said quickly, and she relaxed all the way and shot him a beautiful smile.

“I know. You wouldn’t take advantage of me like that.” She tapped her chin. “We’ll have to figure out all the details. Limits. Boundaries. A safe word. A place to go.”

“We can talk about it all, but I’m sure I can find a place,” Chat said, trying to keep the eagerness from his voice. He failed, judging by her amused look.

“Well then. Good.” Ladybug straightened up a little, fixing one of her pigtails. “This might work as a good compromise.”

Chat nodded. “I think so.”

“Good,” Ladybug said again. Her voice softened into whisper. “Because I don’t know how much longer I can keep going. As Ladybug, everyone expects me to have everything under control all the time. In my civilian life, I’m juggling so many different things. I just - I need to _let_ _go_.” She exhaled, and there was a teary sound to it that broke Chat’s heart.

Even if he didn’t want this, that would’ve been the clincher. Ladybug needed someone to step up and take care of her. The amount of trust she was willing to put in him was staggering. He vowed then and there that he would not fail her no matter what it took.

“We could snuggle,” he said, somewhat lamely, and she rubbed her eyes and looked up at him.

“Snuggle?” she repeated.

“Touch helps. I, uh, don’t get much of that,” he confessed. “Touching, I mean. But I’ve heard -”

She frowned, but nodded. “Sure. Okay. How?”

He glanced around, then scooted back until his back hit the wall of the building. Then he opened his arms to her. She hesitated, eyes flicking around like she thought there might be a camera in the wings.

“Ladybug, come here,” Chat said. It wasn’t _quite_ a command; he didn’t use his Voice, not right now, not when they hadn’t fully discussed it. But it was an order.

And she obeyed, crawling towards him and leaning her head on his chest. She sighed and he could feel the tension draining away; he wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin atop her head, gazing out at the city. It was amazing how much lighter he felt already, and all she’d done was obey him once.

He hoped this was the start of a good path for them both. They needed it.


	2. Going Further

Chat’s heart quickened with nerves as he watched Ladybug land on the balcony. For lack of a better space, he’d resorted to renting a hotel room under an assumed name. It wasn’t like Paris didn’t have plenty of hotels, and he had lots of money squirreled away in a bank account. 

Part of him wished that he had something better to offer, but privacy was paramount and a series of random hotel rooms offered just that. Maybe someday, he thought, they could have more. For now, it was worth it just to see Ladybug push the unlocked balcony door open and step in.

“Hi,” she said with a shy smile, a plain black bag dangling from her fingers.

“Hi,” Chat said softly. “Is this… okay?” He gestured around at the room. It wasn’t much, to be honest.

“It’s perfect,” Ladybug said without even looking around, her gaze focused on him. 

He smiled back. “Ready?”

Ladybug nodded. “Yup. Just one thing…” She reached into her bag and pulled out two masks. One was red and one was black, but that was where their differences ended. Both were designed to cover the upper half of a face, with a simple tie to keep them on. 

“Back to back?” Chat asked, accepting the black one.

“Sounds good to me,” she replied, stowing her bag in a corner of the room.

He turned around and waited until he felt her shoulders press to his, then whispered, “Claws in.”

“Spots off,” she said simultaneously.

Two lights lit up the room. As Plagg materialized, Adrien reached up and carefully slid his mask on and tie it. He took a moment to make sure that it covered every possible inch of his face. It was a lot more comfortable than he’d been expecting, made of a soft fabric that wouldn’t rub or chafe. Trust Ladybug to take their comfort into account, he thought with another smile, and glanced at Plagg.

“You know where to go,” he said to Plagg, deliberately messing up his arm to make it look more _Chat Noir_ than _Adrien Agreste_. 

“Come on, Sugarcube. Let’s leave the kids to be gross,” Plagg said loudly, wrinkling his nose. Adrien swatted at him; Plagg snickered and dodged, grabbing Tikki and flying quickly into the bathroom. The door shut with a resounding bang.

“Chat?” Ladybug said behind him, and Adrien turned. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her, standing there in a green tank top and black cotton pajama bottoms. She fiddled with the drawstring, her eyes on his chest; he was only wearing boxers.

“You’re still comfortable?” Adrien asked, searching her face. They’d discussed their boundaries and what they were both okay with. They even had a safeword in place. Yet still his heart raced as though this were a scene he’d accidentally stumbled in on, and he felt incredibly nervous.

“I am. I trust you,” Ladybug said, smiling. “What do I do first… Master?”

Adrien made a face. “Ew, no. That just reminds me of Master Fu. Call me Chat, or Sir if you want to.”

She giggled. “Sir,” she repeated, batting her eyelashes.

She was so cute sometimes that it hurt. Adrien had to force himself to sober when he really just wanted to smile foolishly at her. He thought of all those long hours alone in his room, aching with the need to have - well, to have_ this_. What was standing right in front of him. Some of his anxiety drained away and he lifted his head, meeting her eyes.

“Ladybug, strip naked for me.”

Ladybug stilled at the command, her eyes widening slightly. She didn’t move right away, and he knew this was the moment when things either worked or they gave up completely. As the seconds ticked by, some of his confidence faltered and he wondered if he’d pushed too far too fast. He was ready to call the whole thing off when -

Very slowly, Ladybug reached up and grasped the hem of her shirt. She hesitated for another split second before her lips pursed into that stubborn little moue he was so familiar with, and then she abruptly pulled her shirt up and over her head. With no bra, that left her breasts visible. Adrien’s mouth went dry as she tossed her tank top onto the chair. Then she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her sweatpants and pushed them down.

She kicked her sweatpants away and stood before him, fully naked but for the red Kwagatama around her neck, arms hanging loosely at her sides. Her cheeks were pink, but she didn’t try to hide.

“Good,” Adrien breathed. “That’s good. Now, lay down on the bed on your front. Leave your hands at your sides.”

“Yes Sir,” she said, and there was no humor in her voice this time. Something warm pulsed through him as she crossed over to the bed and climbed onto it. Not arousal, though naturally that was there too, but something that made him feel like he was flying.

He watched as she settled herself on the bed, inwardly amazed. They had agreed that they wanted to go further, but that they wouldn’t involve sex during their first session. Yet, Ladybug had stripped naked and gotten on the bed without even asking what he was planning. She trusted him_ that _much. It was a little mind-boggling.

“Tell me when you’re comfortable,” he commanded, swallowing hard.

“I am,” Ladybug responded. She had propped her head up on a pillow and wiggled around until her chest wasn’t smushed. She was one long, pale line of smooth skin. The sight of her ass made Adrien’s mouth water, but he pushed those thoughts aside. Now wasn’t the time.

He walked over to the bed and picked up the bottle he’d left on the nightstand. “Close your eyes. Don’t open them until I say so.”

She obediently shut her eyes, her breathing slow and regular. Adrien put one knee on the bed and then lightly swung his other leg over her, straddling her thighs. He uncapped the bottle and poured some of the massage oil into his hands, then set the bottle aside and briskly rubbed his hands together to warm the oil up.

“I’m going to touch you,” he continued. “You’re doing so good…” He was about to call her ‘My Lady’, but hesitated. This was special, just for them. Did nicknames they used outside the room really make sense here?

“_Petite Coccinelle_,” he settled on finally, because she _was_ \- she was his little ladybug right now, and he would do whatever it took to make her happy. She, in turn, would do the same, and that was key.

He set his hands on her shoulders and began to dig his fingertips in, relishing in the way she melted beneath his touch. He could feel the tension in his shoulders uncoiling as he slowly worked his way down her back; this moment, for both of them, was just the beginning.


	3. No Regrets

Adrien was loose and relaxed in a way he hadn’t been in ages as he strolled into class. He smiled happily at Nino as he swung himself into his chair, which prompted a curious look from his friend.

“You seem oddly cheerful today. What’s up? Your dad take a vacation?” Nino asked.

“Sadly no. I’m just happy, that’s all. I had a good night,” Adrien said. He wasn’t about to tell Nino any details about the night before. Even eliminating the fact that he’d been with Ladybug and substituting an unknown girl, that would prompt questions that Adrien couldn’t really answer.

It was yet another secret he had to keep, but this was one was well worth it.

“Apparently it’s an epidemic,” Alya said from behind them. Adrien twisted around to look at her and, surprisingly as it was ten minutes before class started, Marinette.

“What do you mean?” Adrien asked, puzzled.

“Marinette had an amazing night too,” Alya said. “But she won’t tell me why.”

Marinette flushed. “I told you. I didn’t do anything special. I just got to relax for once,” she said.

Adrien looked at her closely. Now that he was paying attention, the perpetual dark rings under Marinette’s eyes seemed to have lightened. Her eyes were bright instead of drooping with exhaustion, and for once her smile didn’t seem forced. She _did_ look much better than usual.

“Just relaxing when you could’ve been hanging out with me,” Alya said with a mock, put-upon sigh.

“Believe me, Alya, I have _no regrets_ as to how I spent my night,” Marinette said with a smirk.

“Everyone needs the chance to relax sometimes,” Adrien chimed in. “I got to relax some last night too. It was really nice.”

Alya looked back and forth between them and then shook her head. “Okay, whatever. But we’re still on for tonight, right?” she asked Marinette.

“Yup. Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten I promised to help you baby-sit,” Marinette said.

“Uh, apparently you _did_ forget we had a date tonight,” Nino said to Alya.

“What? That was tonight?!” Alya groaned and slapped a hand over her face. “Babe, I’m so sorry. Mom asked me to baby-sit and I said yes without thinking.”

“It’s okay. You can make it up to me.” Nino wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“Oh honey, I can definitely do that,” Alya said in a low, throaty voice, leering.

“Eww,” Marinette moaned.

“That’s gross,” Adrien agreed, shoving Nino lightly.

“We didn’t do anything,” Nino said, but he was laughing.

“Ah, my sunshine children. Too innocent and pure for this world,” Alya said dramatically. “Adrien, I should take you under my wing. Teach you the secrets of a dom.”

Adrien snorted. “Thanks, but I think I’m okay,” he said dryly. Alya was a dom and Nino was a switch. Their relationship worked for them, but he wasn’t sure how well that would translate into Chat Noir and Ladybug. Besides, he sort of wanted to feel things out on his own.

“Adrien is just fine the way he is,” Marinette said firmly.

All three of them looked at her in surprise. Marinette’s cheeks reddened again at their scrutiny, but she tipped her nose up stubbornly and refused to back down. Adrien, for his part, was shocked. That was probably one of the few full sentences Marinette had ever gotten out around him without stammering, and it was in support of _him_.

Then, for some reason, Alya giggled. “You’re right. Sunshine boy _is_ fine.” She whistled at Adrien.

Madame Bustier walked in before Adrien could think up a good response to that; he was used to people complimenting his looks, even catcalling him, but it was a little odd when the attention came from someone he knew. He gladly twisted back around in his seat, vaguely aware of Marinette hissing Alya’s name behind him.

Keeping one eye on the front of the room so as not to get caught, he fished his phone out of his pocket and opened up the messaging app that he and Ladybug used exclusively for talking to each other outside the mask. He hadn’t messaged her yet today, but he wanted to make sure she was doing okay.

**CN: **hey bug how you feeling?

Then he waited, knowing it wouldn’t be long before she answered. Especially after last night. He smiled again, more helplessly this time. Ladybug hadn’t gone deep into her subspace, but she’d definitely been feeling it a little after the massage. He’d stayed with her for a couple hours after and they’d cuddled on the bed, talking and drinking the juice Adrien had brought.

His phone vibrated and he quickly glanced down.

**LB:** I’m feeling a lot better actually

**LB: **you’re pretty at what you do, Kitty

She thought he was good at being a dom! Adrien’s smile broadened into a grin and he puffed his chest out a little.

**CN:** I can’t take all the credit. You were amazing

**LB: **what are you talking about? I didn’t do anything

His eyebrows furrowed at that and he quickly answered.

**CN: **are you kidding me? You trusted me to take care of you. You didn’t know what I had planned but you let me do it anyway. You have no idea what that means to me, or how good I feel today knowing I was able to care of you.

There was a long pause after that. Adrien chewed his bottom lip, wondering if he was coming across too strong. But everything he’d said to her was the truth - and frankly there was so much _more_ he could’ve said.

Like how beautiful she was when she had that soft, glazed look in her eyes, or how _good_ she’d been for him. After that initial bout of hesitation, she’d followed every command without pause. She’d put herself fully into his hands and let go, knowing that he would take care of everything.

That meant more than Adrien could properly express. No one _ever_ trusted him with anything. Nathalie didn’t even trust him to be able to choose his own breakfast, and he couldn’t even remember the last time Gabriel had trusted him to do even the smallest thing without heavy supervision.

But Ladybug…

Finally, his phone vibrated again.

**LB: **I’m really glad that we decided to do this. You’re exactly what I need. ❤️

He let out a slow, shaky breath as Nino elbowed him. Just in time, Adrien locked his phone and slid it away as Madame Bustier came over to hand out a worksheet. He took one and passed the rest back to Marinette.

Their hands touched as she took the papers. She actually smiled at him, and the glow in her bright blue eyes took Adrien’s breath away. He recovered quickly and smiled back before turning away to face the front.

He cupped his hand over his phone. At break, he’d be able to respond to Ladybug properly. For now, the quiet confidence her words had induced were more than enough to carry him through the remainder of the morning.


	4. Tickle Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The toy is a rip-off of the Hitachi Magic Wand, of which there are many.

“What’s that?” Ladybug asked literally the second she walked into the hotel room. She was already de-transformed, wearing a cotton shift dress and her mask and nothing else. Her bare feet sank into the carpet as she paused.

Her eyes stared unblinkingly at the box on the bed as though mesmerized, not that the outside was going to tell her much. It was a standard brown, non-descript mailing box. He’d done that on purpose, the better to make her wonder, and it was working: she practically burning with curiosity.

Adrien coughed to hide a laugh. “Why don’t you look and find out?”

She dropped her bag heedlessly and, with forced casualness, walked over to the bed, reaching out to open the top flaps of the box. Her lips parted, forming a small ‘o’ of surprise, as she reached inside and took out the bright green vibrator. He watched her closely as she examined it, running her fingers over the bulbous head, before she picked up the little card that came with it.

“The Tickle Me Wand, a riot of pleasure for him and her,” she read, blushing. “_Chaton_.. did you buy this just for me?”

“For us, but yes,” Adrien said. And hadn’t _that_ been an interesting exercise. He couldn’t exactly walk into a sex store as either Chat Noir or Adrien Agreste, not without attracting a ton of attention. He hadn’t even dared to go while wearing a disguise, just in case something went wrong and he got found out - and with his bad luck, that was bound to happen.

Instead he’d thrown himself on Nino’s mercy and ordered the toy online, sending it to Nino’s apartment with overnight shipping. He couldn’t send it to his own house because Nathalie went through every package that Adrien got, but Nino’s parents were thankfully more lax. The only real problem had been dodging Nino’s questions about what, exactly, he’d ordered.

“I… huh,” Ladybug said, licking her lips slowly. “I’ve never used one before. Al - er, my friend has. She tells me they’re amazing, but my parents are way too nosey for me to bring something like this home.”

“I haven’t used one either for the same reason. I thought it could be a fun experiment,” Adrien said. “Do you -”

He was cut off by Ladybug switching the wand on. It had a rechargeable battery, which he’d charged up last night, and it hummed softly in her hand. Adrien looked on as she touched the fat, vibrating end to her inner arm. Ladybug giggled at the sensation it caused, slowly running the wand up and down her skin.

“It really does tickle,” she said wonderingly, sliding it further up her arm. Then she pulled it away and eyed her chest.

“Hey now. Don’t make me tie you down,” Adrien said. He’d meant it as a joke. Ladybug had mentioned that she wouldn’t mind being tied up, but he hadn’t planned to go so far this soon.

That plan rapidly changed when her eyes dilated and a fresh blush swept across her cheeks.

“Really, Chat?” she said, looking him straight in the eye. It was a challenge, and one that Adrien just couldn’t back down from.

“Yes, really,” he said, and then, purely on suspicion, he added, “With my own tail, if need be.”

Ladybug froze.

Oh yeah. Adrien grinned. “Plagg, claws out!”

“Um, no!” Ladybug squeaked, dropping the vibrator and scooting back. “I-I was just joking.”

“The hell you were,” Chat said, stalking closer to the bed. She tried to scramble out of reach, but he got a hand on one of her ankles and dragged her closer. Ladybug squeaked.

“_Chaton_,” she began.

“It’s Sir,” Chat corrected her, lightly trailing one of his claws up her leg. 

“Sir,” she repeated breathlessly.

Chat watched her, waiting to hear if she’d say the safeword, but she didn’t. So he released her ankle and took advantage of the fact that he was transformed and she wasn’t, quickly grabbing her wrists. She protested and struggled a little, but, even though they were stronger than the average human even detransformed, she was no match for him.

Plus, he knew for a fact she wasn’t actually trying to get away. She was just pretending. It was part of the fun.

He unclipped his tail and wound it around her wrists twice, then looped it through the headboard before he did another loop around her wrists. Then he fastened it shut and stepped back to look her over. Naturally she tested the job, pulling uselessly at the restraint.

“Sir, this isn’t necessary. I can be good,” Ladybug said.

“Why try to be good when this _makes sure_ you’ll be good?” Chat asked reasonably. 

She was pink in the face as he gently pushed her shift dress up until it was bunched beneath her armpits - he would’ve shredded it, but she would’ve killed him - and revealed her naked body. He loved that she hadn’t bothered to wear underwear this time. Just the thought that she’d been walking around naked beneath the thin dress turned him on.

He picked up the wand.

“Sir,” Ladybug said, an edge of anticipation in her voice. “Please.”

“Is that please stop, or please _start_?” Chat asked, smirking. He held a hand up. “It’s a pity. I can’t really touch you this way. I’m too scared that my claws are sharp enough to hurt you. So I guess I’ll have to let my present do the touching for me.”

He switched the wand on low, grinning as she immediately started to squirm. But there was no escaping it as he slowly lowered the wand and ran over her nipple. Ladybug gasped, her eyes widening. Chat grinned and did it again.

This was going to be _fun_.


	5. First Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To everyone who called me a tease: I’m only a tease if I don’t _follow through_. 😉

“You… are… evil…” Ladybug whispered between deep, slow breaths.

Chat snickered. “I’m a regular Hawkmoth,” he agreed, deciding to give her a few seconds of respite. He leaned back, setting the wand down at his side, and glanced up and down her body.

She was shiny with sweat after several steady minutes of teasing. Her nipples were hard little points by now; he barely had to brush the vibrator over them and she’d jump, which was both delightful and fun. The temptation to lean over and take a nipple into his mouth was strong, but he refrained.

In teasing her, he hadn’t neglected the rest of her upper body: he had deliberately paid attention to all of her breasts, as well as her neck, upper arms, shoulders and ears. He’d run the wand over every inch of her skin just to what spots made her squirm the most. 

Turned out Ladybug had a very sensitive neck; she’d practically come off the bed squealing when he’d touched the wand to the right side of her throat just beneath her jaw.

“Evil,” Ladybug repeated, her head falling back against the pillow. 

He smiled to himself. “That’s Sir Evil to you,” he said in a sing-song voice. “Now shush, _Petitie Conccinelle_.”

It looked like she was going to protest until he reached down and pressed his palm to her inner thigh - mindful, of course, of his claws and the very sensitive skin he was so close to. Ladybug stilled and her lips snapped shut, eyes darting up to his face.

She was wet. He couldn’t feel it because of the suit, but he could smell it. His enhanced senses had never been so helpful. Her sweet scent made him want to bury his face between her thighs and lick like the cat that he was until she was sobbing and begging him to stop. 

Hmm, that was a mouthwatering thought. He licked his lips, already tasting her, but decided to leave that for another night. She was already wound up from the wand and he wanted to see how far he could push it. How far he could push _her_. When he ate her out, he wanted her to be focused on nothing but the feel of his lips and tongue.

So he reached for the wand again and switched it back on, loving the way she tensed. Slowly, he set it on her breastbone and pulled it down. Her breath hitched and she flinched when he crossed her belly - ticklish - before she tensed for an entirely different reason when the vibrator brushed over the hairs on her mound.

“Sir,” she said, and this time she sounded kind of desperate. She was very aroused and ready to come.

“I said shush,” Chat said, adding a touch of his Voice. Subs had a very difficult time ignoring a command that was issued in a dom’s Voice. It was a biological imperative that they obey, and it usually had the effect of sending a sub into subspace. 

Ladybug quieted, the only sound in the room her shuddering breaths and the vibrator’s whirring. Chat shifted, sliding down the bed until he could see what he was doing. He pulled on her thigh with his free hand and she obediently parted her thighs, letting him see her cunt.

Gently, lovingly, he touched the vibrator to her clit.

“Oh!” Ladybug gasped, jumping against the bed like she couldn’t help herself. Then she whined, high and thin, when he didn’t take it away, her shoulders pressing back against the headboard.

It was too much for her; he could see it in the way that she was trying to resist the urge to squirm away. But she also wanted it, and he could see that in the way that her hips were grinding down against the wand. She’d press herself against it for a few seconds, then pant for breath and pull up. But she couldn’t resist, so then she’d shift down again, chasing her pleasure.

“That’s it, my good girl,” Chat breathed, fascinated. He’d planned to draw it out, but he wanted to see it. He wanted to see her come for the first time. The desire hit him with a sudden, aching need. Then he could tease some more.

He lifted the vibrator just a little higher, so that she couldn’t escape, and held it there. Ladybug’s gasping intensified. She bit her lip to hold back her moans and squeezed her eyes shut, her hips moving frantically. She clutched her fingers around the belt, grip tightening until her fingers turned white.

“Come on, I want to see you,” he coaxed, low and dirty. “Come for me, Ladybug. Whenever you’re ready.”

It only took another few seconds. Ladybug’s shoulders hunched and she squealed through gritted teeth, her body trembling as she came. Chat held the vibrator against her until she stopped shaking, then switched it off. 

He’d never been so turned on _in his life_.

“God, Ladybug,” he said hoarsely. “You were so good, sweetheart, you were beautiful. You _are_ beautiful.” He stroked her leg, letting her know that he was there. “I’m so proud of you. You came exactly like I wanted you to. You did just what I wanted you to.”

Finally, Ladybug inhaled deeply and opened her eyes to look at him. Her eyes were glassy, so he knew she’d sunk into her subspace, but she was smiling with satisfaction. At least, until Chat held up the vibrator and turned it back on with a mischievous grin.

“Ready for round two?”


	6. Untied

“Plagg, claws in.”

The green flash illuminated the room briefly before fading away. Adrien took a moment to be sure that his mask was still in place before he turned around. Plagg was floating right before him at eye level, arms crossed with an annoyed expression on his face. Adrien gave him a sheepish smile and shrugged his shoulders.

“You owe me a whole wheel of the more expensive Camembert,” Plagg said finally.

“Deal,” Adrien said, figuring that was a small pittance to pay for the couple hours of fun he’d just had with Ladybug while transformed. He watched as Plagg made a face and zipped into the bathroom, and was pretty sure he could hear Tikki giggling.

He looked towards the bed and saw that Ladybug’s arms were now untied, Chat’s tail having dissolved when he detransformed, but that she hadn’t moved. Her arms were still stretched above her head, her eyes shut, her thighs spread. He’d made her come two more times, and only the knowledge that Plagg would _literally_ murder him if he came in the suit had kept him from jacking off in the process.

“How are you doing?” Adrien asked, moving back towards her.

“I’m trying to remember the last time I felt this relaxed,” Ladybug murmured, her voice sounding slightly slurred. “You wrung me out, Sir.”

His stomach fluttered at the name, which sounded so much more serious when spoken outside the throes of passion. He’d never get tired of seeing her this way. So unguarded. So _vulnerable_. Ladybug always had her guard up, which was something he couldn’t fault her for. But he loved the idea that he was the only person who got to see her like this. 

“That’s what I’m here for,” Adrien quipped lightly. He set a hand on her belly and realized she was chilled, which shouldn’t have been a surprise: the room was cool, Ladybug always ran cold, and she’d been sweating a lot.

She opened her eyes at his touch and smiled lazily up at him. “I feel good. What about you?”

“I feel good too,” Adrien told her, which was the truth. He’d poured his focus into Ladybug, making her the center of the world, and all of his usual troubles and frustrations seemed like they were miles away. It didn’t even seem to matter much that he hadn’t gotten to come.

“I’m glad,” Ladybug said sincerely, reaching out a hand. He caught it and pressed a kiss to the back of it, thinking of ways to warm her up. And then he had it.

“How about a shower?” he suggested. “You and me? I’ll fight Plagg and Tikki for the bathroom.”

Ladybug giggled and nodded. “Deal. Carry me?” 

“Sure.” He dropped her hand and stepped closer, sliding an arm around her shoulders and one beneath her legs. She wasn’t exactly light, and without his increased strength he probably wouldn’t have been able to carry her far - but the way she wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled into him made it all worthwhile.

The bathroom door opened as they grew near, and Tikki flew out dragging Plagg behind her. She winked at Adrien and Ladybug and dashed away. Adrien breathed a sigh of relief for merciful kwamis and carried Ladybug into the bathroom, where he set her down. She stepped into the tub and he shucked his boxers before following.

He was aware of her curious stare as he tried to figure out how to work the tub’s faucet, but he didn’t begrudge her for it. He’d had his fill of looking at her naked body twice over now. Still, he was distracted enough by her stare that he accidentally twisted the knobs the wrong way. Ladybug shrieked at the blast of cold water that spurted out and doused them both.

“Shit! Sorry!” Adrien exclaimed, mortified. He quickly turned the knob in the opposite direction and the water rapidly became warmer.

She shivered but laughed again. “It’s okay,_ Chaton_,” she purred. “You can just… warm me up, right?” She pressed herself against him and wound her arms around his neck again.

They hadn’t kissed yet.

The realization only struck him then, as he was staring down into her blue eyes with her lips inches away. They hadn’t discussed kissing. It honestly hadn’t crossed his mind. Ladybug had always stopped him every other time he tried to kiss her, so he hesitated to try again now. He didn’t want to do anything to ruin the moment, or to cross a boundary she hadn’t thought to mention. 

“Chat,” Ladybug whispered, her eyes dropping to his lips. “May I be bold?”

“Yes,” Adrien whispered back.

She leaned up, closing her eyes, and he leaned down. They kissed beneath the water, initially soft and sweet but quickly turning hungry. Adrien jerked in surprise when he felt a small hand brush against his cock. He opened his eyes and stared at Ladybug.

“You didn’t get to come,” she said, taking his cock in hand. 

“I - I wanted to focus on you,” he said breathlessly. He’d cooled off some, but the feel of her hand was quickly ramping things back up.

“Can I…” There was a pretty blush on Ladybug’s cheeks, but she looked determined.

“Yes,” Adrien said. As though he’d deny her anything.

She pressed against him, her belly and breasts to his side, and whispered in his ear. “Tell me what to do, Sir. I’ve never touched a man before. I want to make you feel as good as you did for me.”

He had to take a deep breath before he could respond. “Let go and open your hand.”

Ladybug’s eyebrows furrowed, but she obeyed. Adrien grabbed a small bottle of conditioner and squirted some into her hands. She figured it out quick, rubbing her hands together briskly while giving him a wicked smile that made several ounces of blood rush south.

This woman was probably going to kill him, but he was going to enjoy _every_ moment of it.


	7. Quickie

Adrien sat down on the bed and stretched. It felt good to work the kinks out of his back after spending several hours holding perfectly still in increasingly awkward and uncomfortable positions for a modeling shoot, but it still ached. He sighed and rubbed at the base of his neck.

“Maybe I should be giving you a massage today, _Chaton_,” Ladybug said, peering at him in concern as she walked over. “You look really stiff.”

“I wouldn’t say no,” he admitted. Today’s shoot had run much longer than usual because of technical issues. He’d missed the whole day at school and knew he’d be facing extra work to make up for it. Thank god Nino was pretty good at taking notes.

Ladybug smiled at him and moved closer, standing right in front of him so that his eyes were on level with her bare chest. His mouth watered and he swallowed hard, glancing up at the impish blue eyes hovering over him. She knew _exactly_ what her proximity did to him.

He opened his mouth to speak, but a series of notifications cut him off. Adrien blinked. Ladybug drew back, startled. They both looked over at their respective piles of clothing as their phones continued to beep obnoxiously, then back at each other.

Their expressions were an identical mixture of dismay and frustration.

“What in the world?” Ladybug stalked over to her discarded clothes and dug around until she fished out her phone.

Adrien followed suit, finding his own phone in the pocket of his pants. He checked the screen and groaned when he saw the notifications confirming his suspicion about an akuma attack. He had subscribed to the news and to the Ladyblog for a reason, but right now he _really_ wished he hadn’t.

“Fucking Hawkmoth,” Ladybug muttered, scrolling through her feed. She came back over to him and crouched down, showing him her screen. Adrien took in the live footage of the akuma rampaging through Paris and sighed.

“I concur,” he said glumly. Then his attention caught on something. His own phone was boring, with a plain, unadorned black case. Ladybug’s phone had a bright pink case, but that wasn’t nearly so noticeable as the adorable black cat charm she had affixed to it. The charm swung gently back and forth as Ladybug moved the phone.

Adrien couldn’t help himself. He reached out a finger and gently swatted it.

Ladybug paused, then gave him a deadpan look. “Seriously?”

“It’s cute,” he said, then shot her a mischievous grin. “A _black_ cat, huh, My Lady?”

“Not a word,” she said, her blush visible even beneath the cloth mask.

He chuckled. “I won’t tease you. But I do have to admit, I like the idea that you think about me.” Especially since the charm looked old and well worn, indicating that Ladybug had had it even before they started this.

“I always think about you,” Ladybug said simply, and then stood up with a groan. “_Ugh_, I guess we need to get going.”

Adrien swallowed to cover the sudden jolt of butterflies in his stomach. Ladybug thought about him? Really? It made sense in an abstract way, but the logical side of him hadn’t really expected that and it was throwing him for a bit of a loop.

She was looking at him expectantly though, so Adrien thought fast and said, with a light-hearted grin, “Don’t suppose we have time for a quickie first?”

“I wish,” Ladybug said, looking genuinely regretful. “Who knows, maybe we’ll be _extra_ motivated this time. Because if we’re fast, we might have spare time after.” She cast him a sly look and a wink.

“Maybe,” Adrien agreed, unable to deny that the thought of having enough time after to come back to the hotel was immensely appealing. “Plagg, claws -“

“Wait!” Ladybug yelped, grabbing his hand.

Adrien stared at her, puzzled and unsure as to why she’d stopped him. The sooner they got out there, the sooner they could come back.

Ladybug just raised an eyebrow in return. “You’re naked,” she pointed out. “What’s gonna happen if this fight drags on and we have to go somewhere to refuel?”

“Uhhh,” Adrien said. “Good point.” He shuddered inwardly to think of being caught naked in public with only the flimsy, black cloth mask to hide his identity. All it would take was one person figuring out who he was to start the kind of chaos his reputation would never come back from.

On the plus side, that would be a surefire way to give his father a heart attack. On the negative side, Ladybug would also murder him with her bare hands - _if_ the hordes of screaming fans didn’t kill him first.

“Get dressed, silly,” Ladybug said, turning away to grab her own clothes. She’d shown up sans bra and panties again, so it only took her a few seconds to haul on the tank top and thin cotton shorts.

He followed suit, pulling on his pajama pants and plain black t-shirt. Both of them had agreed to come wearing clothing that wasn’t unique in any way, and what he wore to sleep in seemed like the safest bet since most of Adrien’s closet was made up of _Gabriel_ originals.

“Okay, let’s try this again. Plagg, claws out!” Adrien called out.

“Tikki, spots on!” Ladybug said.

Two flashes of green and pink lit up the room. Chat was almost disappointed to see the familiar red, black-spotted suit cover Ladybug up. It felt like all of her usual barriers were going back up too, relegating them back to nothing more than professional partners.

But then that’s all they were, he reminded himself. Ladybug had already explicitly told him not to expect anything more out of what they were doing. It was a mutually beneficial agreement and nothing more. He had agreed to those terms, mostly because he wanted whatever he could get.

It was just easy to forget when they were here together.

“Ready?” Ladybug asked, turning towards him with her usual smile.

“Ready,” Chat said with a nod, reaching for his baton.

“Let’s go kick some akuma butt!” she said, grabbing her yo-yo. She went to the balcony and jumped off, heedlessly throwing her yo-yo out and trusting that it would catch somewhere.

Chat just stood there for just a moment, baton in hand, watching her go. For the first time, the heavy realization that he might just be in over his head here settled over him… and he had no idea what to do about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What’s that? Ladybug has an unusual phone charm? My my... wonder what _that_ could mean... 😉


	8. Do That Again

Adrien’s heart thudded with nerves as he pulled the scarves out of his bag. He wound them lightly around his hands, playing with the soft green fabric. He’d thought about bringing ropes, but scarves were easier to find - he had a whole selection of them right there in closet. And they would serve his purpose perfectly.

Ladybug cocked her head, blinking at him. “Are those for me?” she asked, and he didn’t think it was his imagination that she looked a little excited.

“Yes,” Adrien said. “Did you do what I asked?”

She nodded, her hands hovering near the hem of her top. “Do you want to see?”

“Yes,” he said again. “Take your top and shorts off.”

She was quick to obey, pulling up her top and dropping her shorts. This time, for the first time, she was wearing a matching set of bra and panties. Adrien gawked at her, shocked by the sight of the lacy bra and panties. Both pieces were black, which set off her creamy skin. Her breasts looked fantastic, while the thin line of the panties stole attention to her curvy hips and what lay between.

Adrien honestly wasn’t sure where to look.

Ladybug giggled nervously. “I take it this meets your approval?” she asked shyly, clasping her hands in front of her. 

“You look stunning,” Adrien said hoarsely, floored. He’d seen her naked, but the lingerie did _things_ to her figure that would highlight prominently in his dreams for a while. 

She smiled, emboldened by the praise, and dropped to her knees. “Please, Sir,” she said huskily. “Do whatever you want with me.” 

Good lord. He had the feeling he wasn’t going to last long today. Nevertheless, Adrien pasted on a straight face and held up the scarves. “Hands behind your back.”

Ladybug did as he asked, allowing him to lightly bind her wrists behind her back. When he was finished, she tugged at the scarves but couldn’t get free. Adrien stepped back around to look at her from the front and was _very_ pleased to see that the position thrust her ribcage forward. Her breasts were practically on a platter, and Ladybug knew it judging from the blush on her face.

He shed his boxers, leaving himself naked, and backed up until he sat on the bed. He placed a pillow on the floor between his spread feet. Ladybug watched this with a curious expression, her eyes widening when he gestured to the pillow. He could see the instant what he wanted clicked into place.

“Come here,” Adrien said in a low voice.

She started to get up.

“On your knees,” he concluded. “Crawl to me.”

Her blush darkened, spreading down her face as she shuffled over to him on her knees - her awkward gait made her breasts shift, which he enjoyed very much. He held the pillow steady for her while she lifted first one knee and then the other. When she was settled, her face was mere inches away from his hardening cock. 

“You’re going to suck me,” Adrien said. “You better do a good job. If you don’t make _me_ come, then _you _don’t get to come.” He smirked. “And believe me, with what I have in mind, you’re going to want to come.”

“Yes Sir,” Ladybug whispered. She stared at his cock before slowly leaning forward. Adrien watched intently, forcing himself not to react at the first touch of her soft lips to the head.

She stayed there for a moment before her lips parted and he felt the first flick of her tongue across his glans. Adrien bit his lip so as not to gasp too loudly, already knowing that she would have no problem at all getting him off. He really wanted to make it a challenge for her, but that was proving harder than he’d thought.

Hell, just the _sight_ of her was almost enough to bring him over the edge. It was Ladybug, on her knees with her hands tied behind her back, red mask over her face, pink lips around his cock, blue eyes occasionally flicking up to check his expression. Her hair was tied into her signature pigtails with two red ribbons, and the ribbons bounced whenever she moved her head. He couldn’t fathom a more erotic sight.

“Oh god, do that again!” he gasped when she dragged her tongue up his cock, his hips jerking. He felt more than saw her smile, and she repeated the movement a couple more times.

Then she pulled off, licked her lips, and took the head of his cock into her mouth. It was so _warm_ and _wet_. He clenched his hands into fists, then felt an uncontrollable urge to grab her hair. So he did. He slid his fingers into the strands, pulling the ribbons free and casting them aside. Her hair fell across her neck and shoulders.

“Shit, Ladybug… _Petite Coccinelle_… fuck…” Adrien groaned, tugging lightly at the strands. He was shocked when Ladybug moaned around his cock, and realized that she was responding to having her hair pulled. She _liked_ it.

He pulled a little harder and she moaned again, sucking lightly. He swore under his breath and closed his eyes, but just as quickly opened them again because he didn’t want to miss a single moment of this. It had only been a handful of minutes, but he could already feeling himself getting too close to the edge.

Ladybug took a little more of his cock into her mouth and used her tongue to massage beneath the head, her blue eyes gazing up at him. Adrien met her gaze and saw the stubborn glint in her eyes, like he was an akuma she was determined to take down, and that was it.

“Fuck!” he rasped, lightly pushing her backwards. He ended up coming on her face and breasts, which was at least better than coming unexpectedly in her mouth. 

“Sir,” Ladybug said breathlessly, licking her lips. “Sir… may I come now too?”

Adrien blinked, still coming back to himself, and then chuckled. “Oh,” he murmured, letting go of her hair to gently touch her cheek. “My dear, I said you’d get to come. I didn’t say it would be right away.”


	9. Tangled

His legs were a little wobbly when he stood, but Adrien managed without _too_ much effort. Then he reached down and gently gripped Ladybug’s upper arms, helping her to her feet. She was pouting, which honestly just made her look incredibly sexy and made him in no way anxious to solve her problem anytime soon.

If only she knew.

“Lay down on the bed on your back,” he said. “I’m going to change things up so that you’re more comfortable.”

He untied her hands - which took a few seconds; she’d been struggling while getting him off, so the scarf was tangled around her wrists - and then, when she was laying down, retied them above her head to the headboard. It was a similar position to before, but this time there was an additional twist: he took the other two scarves and tied each of her knees to the headboard as well, leaving her legs spread and her cunt easily accessible.

It also meant that she was pretty much immobile, which Ladybug discovered quickly. She looked both anticipatory and nervous, a heady mix which only served to heighten Adrien’s excitement. He grinned as he knelt at the edge of the bed, looking down at her. 

“I really do like these panties,” he said casually, tracing the edge of her panties on her right hip. “Where did you get them?”

“I bought them while shopping with a friend,” Ladybug replied. “She talked me into it.”

“She had to talk you into it? Why’s that?” Adrien asked, leaning down.

“Um… I wasn’t sure I liked them. They show a lot?” she said, making it sound like a question.

“Really? I don’t think they show nearly enough. And to prove it, I’m only going to concentrate on what I can see,” he explained. 

He started with her inner thighs, gently kissing, licking and sucking his way across them. Ladybug’s skin was soft, supple and pale, but it reddened quickly under his mouth. She’d told him that marks were okay in places where people couldn’t see them, and Adrien took her seriously. He deliberately and slowly sucked five hickies onto each thigh, positioned in the shape of a cat paw, until she had a matching set.

Ladybug was starting to squirm by that point, her breath hitching each time he ‘accidentally’ brushed over her cunt. He smiled to himself and moved above the panties to her lower belly, licking stripes of skin and then blowing lightly to make her shiver. He wondered how long it would take her to snap, but she lasted at least another five minutes before she broke.

“Please, Sir!” she whispered.

“Please what?” Adrien asked, feigning innocence.

“Please touch my pussy,” Ladybug said, thrusting her crotch up as far as she could - which actually wasn’t very far at all.

“Oh, you mean this pussy?” He cupped the area with his hand, feeling the heat and warmth and wetness. “Well, since you ask _so nicely_…”

He pulled her panties up as far as he could, ducking his head below them to see the treasure that lay beneath. Her cunt was pink and glistening from her juices. Adrien stuck his tongue out and licked at her lips. She cried out at the touch and her hips jerked, but she couldn’t move that well.

“Oh god!” she gasped. 

“You like that?” Adrien murmured, already knowing the answer. He licked her again; she tasted as good as he had imagined that she would.

It was obvious where she wanted him to touch, but he avoided her clit and instead started licking the other parts of her cunt. He didn’t penetrate her just yet, but he did flick his tongue over her hole. She jumped again at that, another ragged gasp tearing its way from her lips.

He smiled to himself and finally brought his hands into play, rubbing the edge of her hole. She kept clenching down, like she was trying to pull his fingers inside. Maybe she was. But it didn’t work. He was having too much fun to give in that easily. Instead, he used his hands to spread the lips of her cunt wide. Very slowly, he licked her all the way up - stopping just before her clit.

Ladybug was moaning continously by that point. It was music to his ears. He continued licking at her, occasionally veering off to give her thighs another gentle nip. He liked the way she startled whenever he did that; it was adorable. But it was equally fun to hear the edge of frustration creep into her voice whenever he came close to her clit and then veered off.

Finally, she snapped and begged, “Please, Sir, let me come!”

“Let you come?” Adrien echoed, pretending to be astonished. “I told you that you come if you made me come, and you did. You can come anytime you like.” And then he grinned and touched his tongue to the spot just below her clit.

“My clit, please,” Ladybug begged. “I need you to touch it. Please. I need to come.” She was starting to sound frantic, not that he could blame her. He’d been teasing her for the better part of thirty minutes. 

“I don’t know,” Adrien said.

“Please!” Ladybug cried. “Please, Sir, _please_! Touch my clit. Make me come!”

“Alright,” Adrien said. “But only because you beg so sweetly, _Petite Coccinelle_.”

He pressed his tongue to her clit and heard her cry out, but it was nothing compared to the screech she gave when he wrapped his lips around her clit and lightly sucked. She came pretty much immediately, her hips jerking, stomach heaving. Adrien licked and sucked at her clit the whole way through it, only stopping when she began to whine from sensitivity.

His face was wet with her juices when he finally lifted his head to look at her. She was gasping for breath, her face reddened from exertion. She was still shaking a little. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and crawled up to lay beside her, gently tilting her head until their eyes met.

“Good girl,” he whispered, leaning in to kiss her. 

“Thank you, Sir,” she murmured back, right before their lips met.


	10. Guided

The vibration of his phone against his hip caught Adrien’s attention. He glanced away from Nino and reached down, pulling his phone out of his pocket just as he put a forkful of salad into his mouth. He was expecting to see a text from Nathalie about whether or not he had to attend Fencing practice after school.

**LB**: I dreamed about your tongue in me all night and woke up so wet that my panties and sheets were wet too

Adrien choked on his salad and went into a series of wracking coughs. Nino, Nathaniel and Max all looked over at him with identical worried expressions. 

“Dude, you okay?!” Nino said.

“I’m f-fine,“ Adrien gasped, waving them off. He grabbed his bottle of water and took a fierce drink, head spinning from an unexpected but fierce surge of lust.

“Are you sure?” Nathaniel asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Yeah,” Adrien said, clearing his throat. He was pretty sure he’d just inhaled lettuce, but that was fine. It better than fine. Ladybug was sending him dirty messages. He didn’t care if the_ room_ was on _fire_. Everything was great.

**CN**: I hope they were good dreams, Bugaboo

He took another, more cautious forkful of salad and chewed slowly as he eagerly waited for her to answer. The three dots appeared and stayed for several tantalizing seconds before her answer arrived.

**LB**: the best, except that I woke up horny and didn’t have time to get myself off. I’m still wet and frustrated. I keep thinking about amazing your tongue felt when you were licking my pussy, Chat. I can’t think of anything else.

**LB**: I think you’ve ruined me

Adrien licked his lips, salad now officially forgotten as he read and re-read what she’d said. Just the thought of Ladybug walking around the city with wet panties was enough to make him painfully hard. He carefully shifted so that his lap was hidden underneath the table, hoping that no one else would notice his boner.

**CN**: I wish I knew you were. I’d come find you and eat you out until you were crying and begging me to stop

**LB**: yes please oh god

Ugh, stupid secret identities! Adrien squirmed and glanced up, looking around the room. No one was paying him any attention, and there was a good - he checked his phone - twenty-five minutes left before class would begin. He’d been so happy to stay at school for lunch for once, but now the thought of staying in the cafeteria had lost its appeal. He had something much better in mind.

**CN**: Can you find a place alone?

**LB**: probably why?

**CN**: Find a place. I’m going to find one too. Then I’ll call you.

**LB**: okay

Her response came to fast that it surprised him, but it was also exciting. He wanted to jump up and run out, but Adrien forced himself to sit quietly for another couple of minutes. It wouldn’t do to attract too much attention. He finished the rest of his salad, even though he wasn’t hungry anymore, and packed up his bag.

“Make room,” Alya announced, walking over just as Adrien was about to get up. She was alone, which surprised Adrien.

“Where’s Marinette?” he asked automatically.

Alya shrugged. “She ran off saying something about how she forgot she had to talk to Madame Bustier.”

“Oh. Well, you can have my seat. I have to talk to… um, Monsieur D'Argencourt,” Adrien said loudly. He stood up, carefully but casually holding his backpack right in front of him.

“Thanks, Sunshine.” Alya slid into the vacated chair and immediately stole one of Nino’s fries, which prompted an annoyed huff from Nino. Adrien eyed his classmates, but thanks to Alya’s arrival no one was paying him any attention. He made a quick, thankful exit.

His phone vibrated a couple times as he ran, but Adrien didn’t dare look again until he was safely hidden away in a rarely used janitor’s closet. He wedged a broom beneath the handle and sat down with his back to the wall, breathing hard with excitement.

**LB**: I’m alone

**LB**: Chat?

**LB**: Please Sir

Shit. Adrien closed his eyes briefly and then shakily pressed the green call button. They’d never used this part of the messaging app before, having always stuck to texts - but suddenly he _needed_ to hear her voice. His heart thudded in his chest as he waited for the call to connect.

“Chat?” Ladybug’s voice was throaty and low.

“Hi,” he breathed out.

“Are you alone too?” she asked.

“Yeah. For a little while, at least,” Adrien said. Alone except for Plagg, but he knew Plagg had zero interest in being a part of anything sexual. 

“Me too,” Ladybug said. “I can’t stop thinking about last night. God, Kitty, what have you done to me?”

Adrien tried to pull himself together. “Why? Do you _want_ me, _Petite Coccinelle_?” he rumbled. “Want me to pin you down and lick that pretty pink cunt? Or maybe you want me to push my tongue inside of you this time?”

Ladybug gasped. “Yes. Yes, I want that.” She was breathing hard.

“Are you touching yourself?” Adrien said in a sudden, shocking moment of clarity.

“N-No,” Ladybug said. 

“Don’t lie to me,” he said sharply. “Tell me what you’re doing. Right now.”

Ladybug whimpered, but said, “I’m - I’m sitting with my back to the wall. I’m w-wearing a blue dress. I have my thighs spread…”

He closed his eyes again, the better to picture it. “Go on.”

“My panties are so wet. I keep touching them and they’re soaked. I’m running my index finger up and down my slit and it’s all I can do to keep myself from rubbing my clit and coming,” Ladybug said in a hushed voice, but she also sounded incredibly _needy_.

“What color are your panties?” Adrien asked.

“White.”

A tantalizing picture formed in his mind, and suddenly Adrien knew exactly what he wanted to do. “Stop it.”

“Stop what?” she asked, sounding confused.

“Stop touching yourself. Right now.”

“But why?” Ladybug whined. There was no other word for it.

“Because I said so,” he said simply.

There was a pause during which he could _feel_ her struggle, but eventually Ladybug said, “I… I stopped.”

“Good girl,” Adrien murmured, clutching his phone tightly. “Now… do everything I say, okay? I’m gonna guide you through this. And I promise I’ll make you come harder than you ever could on your own.”

“Okay,” Ladybug said, with a ragged inhale. “Okay.”


	11. Kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit for the **amazing** piece of fanart goes to lewdsinette ([tumblr](https://lesslinette.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/lewdsinette)). I am bowled over by how sexy Marinette looks and I'm sure we can all sympathize with Adrien as to why the picture knocked him for a total fucking loop!

Adrien shifted a little, the better to position himself, and cleared his throat. “What does the top of your dress look like?”

“Umm… it’s got straps. Thin, spaghetti straps, I guess you’d say. I’m wearing a white cardigan overtop of it,” Ladybug replied. “And a v-neckline with two buttons.”

His interest sharpened immediately. “You can unbutton it?”

“Yes.”

“Do it.”

“Okay,” Ladybug said after a moment.

“Pull your boobs out of your bra,” he ordered. The mental image of her doing just that made him ache. He would’ve preferred she get undressed all the way, but he was smart enough to know that Ladybug was probably at school just like he was. That seemed unfair when _he_ wasn’t planning to undress just in case he got caught.

He did, however, unzip his pants just to get some growing room.

“Okay,” Ladybug said again. “It’s cold in here.”

“Are your nipples hard?” he asked, already knowing the answer. “Since I can’t give them the kisses they deserve, I want you to pinch them for me.”

Ladybug moaned into the phone a moment later, telling him without so many words that she was obeying his instructions. Adrien could picture her perfectly, but he was frustrated to realize that he’d never actually watched her touch herself. He made a mental note to correct that someday very soon.

He wondered how hard she would blush if he made her sit on a bed and masturbate right in front of him. It would be fun to make her get off with just her fingers. Maybe she’d beg and cry for his tongue or hands, or maybe even - if he was _really_ lucky - his cock.

“Chat, please,” she gasped. “My pussy. I need more.”

“Do you?” he said, shifting around until he could get his pants and boxers down and his cock out. “You don’t sound like it.”

“I do. I really do. I could barely sit still in class this morning. My seatmate asked me what was wrong like three times. All I wanted was to sneak off and masturbate, but I couldn’t get away,” Ladybug said in a rush.

He smiled at the thought. “Is your pussy wet?”

“Yes. I told you - my panties - it’s humiliating.”

“It’s not humiliating. It’s sexy,” Adrien corrected.

Ladybug paused again, then asked. “It is?”

“Absolutely. If you only knew how hard that first text you sent me made me…” Adrien groaned. “God, Ladybug. I was in public and I got a boner so fast that I felt dizzy from lack of blood flow.”

She giggled shyly. “Um, sorry. I didn’t think about that. I just needed you.”

His heart warmed. “You have me, sweetheart,” he said softly. “Roll those wet panties down. Show the world that cute pussy.”

Ladybug’s breathing deepened and he heard the sounds of her shifting around. He wished he could be there to see how debauched she looked in person, but there was also something intimate and filthy about talking to each other over the phone. It was a rush to know she needed him so much that she couldn’t wait.

“O-Okay,” she said. “I took my panties off. Please, can I touch myself?”

“I dunno,” Adrien said, pretending to think about it.

“Sir, I need to come,” she practically begged. “I didn’t touch myself all morning. I waited for you.”

“That’s true. You were a good girl. Yes, you can touch yourself,” Adrien said. “Start by cupping your hand over your cunt and rubbing your clit with your palm.”

He could tell the moment she obeyed, because Ladybug gasped again. Then she moaned, sounding like it was being forced out between gritted teeth. It was a beautiful sound and Adrien spit into his palm, then took hold of his cock again. Pleasure sizzled along his nerves and he shivered, close even though he’d barely touched himself. Ladybug had that effect on him.

“Oh,” Ladybug breathed. “Oh, oh god. It feels _so_ good.”

“Are you grinding against your hand?” Adrien asked.

“Yessss,” she rasped.

“How do you usually make yourself come?”

“I… uh… I put two fingers inside myself and then rub my clit with my other hand. I make little circles,” Ladybug said.

“Don’t put anything inside yourself,” Adrien commanded. “You will come from your clit alone. The next thing inside you will be _me_.”

Ladybug made a soft, high-pitched whine at that. “Yes Sir, I want that Sir, want your tongue and your fingers inside me, Sir, _please_ -”

“I’m going to give it to you,” Adrien promised, his hand moving quickly over his cock. Between the stimulation and the beautiful sound of Ladybug’s moans and cries, neither of them were going to last long.

“Oh, oh, oh.” Ladybug keened. “Sir - it feels so _good_ -”

Adrien knew exactly how she felt. His own breathing was picking up. He groaned into the phone as he shot his load all over the floor. Ladybug’s breath hitched and then she made a familiar sound that he knew meant she’d come too. They were both quiet for a moment, struggling to regain control of themselves.

“Ladybug?” he said finally.

“Sir?” she murmured, sounding sated.

“How’s your pussy now?”

Ladybug sighed. “Even wetter now,” she said. “But at least I don’t feel like I’m going out of my mind.”

“It’s too bad we don’t know each other’s identities,” Adrien said. “I would happily lick you clean.”

She sucked in a sharp breath. “Chat -”

“Gotta go, My Lady. Class awaits. Have fun cleaning up.” He hung up, grinning to himself - _that_ image would surely stay in _her_ mind all day.

He fixed himself back up and then used some papers towels to wipe the floor. No sooner had he desposed of the mess than his phone beeped. He pulled it out automatically and immediately froze, staring at Ladybug’s text with an open mouth. She’d sent him a picture of her body from the neck down, breasts still out and thighs spread wide to reveal her glistening cunt. One hand was cupping a breast, thumb on her hard pink nipple.

**LB**: anytime you want something to lick, you know where to find me Sir


	12. Slow It Down

Adrien lost track of time as he sat there and stared at the photo Ladybug had sent him, accompanied by the sassiest text he’d ever seen. He was so preoccupied that he completely missed Plagg emerging from his bag until Plagg flicked him in the ear. Adrien yelped and jerked away.

“You really need to pull yourself together,” Plagg said, rolling his eyes.

Adrien shot him a scowl. “Can you blame me? She sent me a picture of -”

“I don’t want to know!” Plagg yelped, clasping his paws over his ears. He glared at Adrien. “But you do realize you’re late for class, right?”

“Wh-what?!” Adrien looked down at his phone - _really_ looked this time, not just at the picture Ladybug had sent him, and squeaked in panic when he realized that class had started three minutes ago. 

He quickly closed the app and finished straightening out his clothing, then grabbed his bag and ushered a snickering Plagg back inside. The hallway was empty when he slipped out of the closet, much to his relief: the last thing he needed was someone seeing him and wondering why he’d been spending time in the janitor’s closet - or worse, someone seeing him and assuming he’d been in there with a girl.

Which, technically, he had been. But no one else needed to know that.

Mere seconds from the classroom, his hand literally outstretched to twist the knob, his phone rang. Adrien’s heart stuttered and he scrambled to pull out his phone again, but of course it wasn’t Ladybug. It was Nathalie. He sighed and backed away from the door, reluctantly hitting the answer button.

“Adrien, your father has scheduled you a last minute photo session. I’m sending your bodyguard to pick you up,” Nathalie said without preamble.

Adrien’s shoulders slumped. “Now? But I have -”

“We need to make up for that disastrous shoot,” Nathalie interrupted. “Don’t argue; I’ve already notified your teacher that you’ll be out this afternoon. Get here quickly.”

“Yeah, okay,” Adrien said quietly, disappointment welling up in him. “I’ll be right there.”

He didn’t get an answer, not that he expected one. Nathalie just hung up. Adrien sighed again and headed back down the hall. The Gorilla was already outside waiting for him. He walked slowly over to the car and got in the back, closing the door behind him. The warm, happy feelings that his call with Ladybug had generated were gone now, replaced by dread and resignation.

“Chin up, Kid. It won’t be that bad,” Plagg whispered from inside Adrien’s shirt pocket.

“It sure won’t be great,” Adrien said glumly.

“Maybe you can convince Nathalie to let you see your friends after. You could say you’re getting your homework and notes from them,” Plagg suggested.

Adrien looked down at him, frowning. “That’s… not a bad idea. Why are you being helpful?”

“Let’s just say I’m going to lose my mind if you don’t see Marinette today,” Plagg replied.

“Marinette? What? Why?” Adrien said, blinking in confusion.

But Plagg merely curled back up in Adrien’s pocket and refused to say another word no matter how much Adrien poked and prodded at him. Adrien was baffled. Plagg didn’t even_ know _Marinette. Sure he’d heard Adrien talk about her, and he often teased Adrien about Marientte being his girlfriend because he knew how much it bugged Adrien, but why was it so important that he see Marinette_ today_?

All those thoughts were wiped from his mind when he arrived at the venue and was immediately hustled into hair and make-up and then the changing room. The hours ticked by quickly, but that made him no less exhausted by the time it was over and he emerged in his own clothing again to find Nathalie waiting for him.

“You did well,” Nathalie said with her typical wooden smile. “Make sure you do your homework tonight.”

“About that… can I go out and see my friends -”

“No,” Nathalie said.

“But I need to get my homework! Please, I can drop by really quickly and get what I need. It’ll only take like ten minutes,” Adrien pleaded. But as soon as he said it, he knew she wasn’t going to go for it. She didn’t even look at him, instead keeping her focus on her ever-present tablet.

Sure enough, Nathalie shook her head. “Your father wants you to go straight home.”

Adrien opened his mouth to protest and then shut it, recognizing the inevitability of the situation. No matter what he said, he was going to get the same sternly worded answer - and if he pushed it too far, he would be confined to the house for the foreseeable future. He didn’t want that either.

“Okay,” he mumbled, disappointed.

“Do you hear that?” Nathalie said suddenly. “It sounds like… like someone screaming?”

“No, I don’t hear anything,” Adrien lied, clapping a hand to his shirt pocket to help muffle Plagg’s screams of rage. He had_ no idea _what was going on with the kwami today.

Nathalie squinted at him suspiciously. “Right, well. Come on then.”

She escorted him out to the car. Adrien climbed into the backseat, staring out the window as the Gorilla pulled the car away from the curb. He unhappily leaned his head against the window, listening to Plagg mutter and curse. He couldn’t figure out why Plagg was so upset, but Plagg’s mood was only worsening Adrien’s.

At least he had Ladybug to think about. He took his phone out and opened the messaging app to see the picture she’d sent him again. Now wasn’t the time to slow it down; he wanted _more_ from her. And he was pretty sure she wanted the same thing from him. He quickly sent her a message.

**CN**: Let’s meet tonight, Bugaboo, and I’ll follow through on that promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hides*


	13. Hand Over Fist

Shortly after sunset, Chat leaped out the window and took to the rooftops. Ladybug had answered his message with an eager affirmation; they weren’t due to meet up for another half hour, but he was too energized to sit around his bedroom and pretend to care about homework.

He really didn’t intend to end up near the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, but that was where his feet naturally led him. As he passed by, Chat spotted the small figure sitting on the balcony and smiled to himself. Plagg had been pretty insistent that he see Marinette today, so why not?

He changed trajectory and headed towards Marinette’s balcony. She was sitting with her head down, a sketchbook open upon her knee. Her pencil moved across the page with quick but steady strokes, no doubt bringing some new masterpiece to life. He smiled; she really was incredibly talented.

“Good evening,” Chat said cheerfully as he landed on the railing.

Marinette jumped in surprise. “What - Chat? What are you doing here?”

“I was out for a patrol and thought I’d stop by for a minute,” he replied. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“Uh - I guess not,” Marinette said, though she gave him a curious look. She closed her sketchbook and set it aside, standing up.

Her robe fell open as she moved, showing what she had on underneath. Chat immediately noticed that she was wearing shorts and a tank top very similar to what Ladybug usually wore to their sessions. He even thought, as he looked at her, that Ladybug and Marinette must shop at the same stores, because he was pretty sure Ladybug had those same pink shorts.

Then Marinette noticed where he was looking and squeaked, hastily closing her robe. Chat blushed, realizing that he’d basically been checking her out, and turned his head away to look out at the Parisian skyline. He felt unusually flustered, and quickly seized upon something to talk about.

“So… so Hawkmoth has been unusually busy lately. He’s making akuma hand over fist,” he blurted out. “You’d think he was getting paid by the akuma or something like that.”

Marinette was quiet as she stepped up beside him. Chat watched her out of the corner of his eye. There was a thoughtful look on Marinette’s face that he couldn’t quite parse. A strange tension crackled between them, so unlike the usual easy atmosphere, and Chat felt uncomfortable.

Maybe he shouldn’t have come.

“He has been really active lately,” Marinette said finally. “Alya - she’s my friend, you probably know her as the Ladyblogger, or that crazy girl who runs _towards_ akuma fights instead of away - is thrilled about it.”

Chat relaxed a little. “I’m glad someone is. It’s mostly just making me and Ladybug really tired.”

“I hope you’re both getting enough rest,” Marinette said, turning towards him a little. She looked worried, and Chat couldn’t help smiling at her.

Marinette really was one of the nicest people he’d ever met. How many people would be genuinely concerned about a superhero they didn’t know that well? She could’ve shooed him away, especially after he acted so weird, but she hadn’t. Her kindness really was unparalleled.

“I’m getting by, don’t worry,” Chat said. “I have a couple of ways to help release tension.”

“Oh… that’s good.” In the dim light it looked like Marinette was blushing, though he didn’t know why that would be.

“Yeah. And I’m guessing that if Hawkmoth is making more akumas, it’s because he’s not happy. Any day that Hawkmoth isn’t happy is a good one,” he added.

Marinette giggled. “That’s fair.” She paused. “Hey, stay here for a moment, would you?”

“Sure,” Chat said, watching as she disappeared back into her room.

He was surprised to realize in that moment that he didn’t really want to leave. Initial awkwardness aside, had it not been for the fact that he was going to meet Ladybug, he would’ve stayed all night - or at least, as long as Marinette would have let him. Her presence made him feel comfortable and calm, and that wasn’t something he got to experience very often.

It was too bad, he reflected, that he couldn’t have this kind of peace with Marinette in his civilian form. She always seemed so nervous around Adrien and he hated that. It had to be his fault, but he’d never been able to figure out what the problem was, much less how to fix it.

He should try harder. He and Marinette were friends, or at least Chat thought they were, but he wanted them to be closer as Adrien and Marinette, not just as superhero and innocent civilian. He wanted more of someone who was so _good_ in his life.

That feeling was only reaffirmed when Marinette clambered back out a few minutes later, clutching a pink box in her hands. She walked over to him and held it out. Chat blinked and looked at the box, only taking it when she determinedly shoved it against his chest.

“These are for you and Ladybug,” Marinette announced. “I wasn’t sure what you guys would like, so I picked an assortment of everything.”

“Wow… thanks!” Chat said, shocked. “You didn’t have to - I don’t have any money on me -” Which was sort of a lie. He did have some money in his wallet, but it wasn’t like he could detransform to get it.

Marinette smiled. “No payment necessary. Consider it a gift for everything that you do.”

“That’s… thank you,” Chat said again, for lack of anything else to properly express his feelings.

“You’re welcome. Besides, you’re pretty skinny for a superhero. You should eat more,” she said, giving him a critical look.

Chat sputtered a bit and blushed. “I eat plenty!” he said, which was also a lie. He ate plenty for a teenaged model who did a moderate amount of activity. Unfortunately, his nutritionist didn’t often take parkouring around Paris and fighting akuma into account.

Marinette looked skeptical. “Right, sure you do.”

“I do,” Chat said almost sulkily. He felt bad not having anything to give her in return. He’d have to find a way to buy Marinette something. Maybe he could buy her a drink if he ever got the chance to go out with her, Alya and Nino, or maybe some flowers…

“I believe you,” Marinette said in a tone which made it _very_ clear that she actually didn’t, and patted his shoulder.

Chat tensed in surprise; not very many people touched him, especially when he was transformed. Ladybug was the only person who touched him with any regularity. He didn’t dislike that Marinette had touched him so casually, but it was unexpected.

Unfortunately, before he had the chance to relax or even appreciate it, Marinette froze and then yanked her hand away. He immediately missed the gentle touch. Marinette was blushing again and looked embarrassed.

“Um, sorry. Force of habit,” she said, and then looked even _more_ horrified. “I mean! My friends and I touch a lot. I should learn to keep my hands to myself.” She let out an awkward, nervous laugh.

“It’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting it. You can touch me anytime,” Chat said.

She still looked flustered, so he reached over and put a hand on her arm to reaffirm what he was saying. Marinette stilled at his touch, the tension draining out of her body remarkably fast. She met his gaze and smiled.

“Okay. I’ll remember that,” she said. “Hey, didn’t you say you were meeting Ladybug? You’re going to be late.”

“Shit!” Chat yelped. Marinette was right. He jumped down from the railing. “Thanks for the pastries. I gotta run. See you around!” He leaped off the balcony, Marinette’s good-bye trailing after him.

He tucked the box of pastries beneath his arm and quickly made his way to the hotel room. Luckily, he got there first; he didn’t like the idea of Ladybug showing up to an empty room, because he knew firsthand how much that sucked. He sighed and entered, casting a quick glance around to make sure everything was as it should’ve been. He set the box down on the dresser.

“Claws in!” he said.

Plagg immediately glared at him. “You’re a moron.”

“What?” Adrien said, reaching up to fix the cloth mask. “Why? I went and saw Marinette, just like you wanted!”

“It’s too late _now_!” Plagg shouted in total exasperation. “I didn’t think it was possible, but all this sex has made you even stupider!”

“Rude,” Adrien said mildly, unaffected by the insults.

“I just - and you - then Marinette - uggggh!” Plagg shook his head, devolving into unintelligible muttering as he flew into the bathroom. The door slammed shut a moment later.

Adrien just shook his head over Plagg’s dramatics and walked over to the bed to wait for Ladybug.


	14. Not Here

Adrien was unusually nervous as he walked into class that morning. His heart was racing, he could feel beads of sweat trickling down his back, and his hands were clammy as he took the step to stand next his desk. He was a little late because of the unscheduled stop he’d asked the Gorilla to make, which meant that Marinette, Alya and Nino were already there.

He swallowed, licked his dry lips, and said, “Hi Marinette.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “H-Hi A-Adrien,” she stammered. “How you are? I mean, h-how are you?”

“I’m great,” Adrien said, highly conscious of the way Nino and Alya were staring at him - he didn’t usually greet Marinette first in the morning. He was beginning to think this was a bad idea, but he was committed now. So, he brought the bouquet of flowers out from behind his back and held them out to Marinette.

Alya gasped.

Nino choked.

Marinette froze.

“These are for you,” Adrien said when she failed to take them, gently laying the flowers on her desk. “Because - uh.” 

It only occurred to him at that moment that he couldn’t exactly tell her the flowers were a thank you for the delicious pastries she’d given Chat last night. His mouth hung open uselessly for several seconds before there was a hard, pointed jab against his chest, courtesy of Plagg. Adrien snapped his mouth shut and then finished in the lamest way possible:

“Because you’re nice.”

Nice. _Nice_. Adrien seriously considered yeeting himself out the window as he turned back around and slid into his chair. His face burned when he heard the unmistakable sound of Plagg giggling, and he slapped at his shirt pocket a couple of times under the guise of tapping his chest to help to clear his throat.

“Whoa, Marinette, you’re turning blue. Breathe,” Alya hissed behind them.

“Dude, what the hell?” Nino said at the same time.

Adrien said nothing, preferring instead to lay his head on the desk and wish for a quiet death. He stayed that way through morning classes, and was wholly unsurprised that, when break came, Marinette and Alya were out of their chairs and out the door in the blink of an eye.

“I really messed up, didn’t I?” Adrien said to no one in particular.

“Well, that depends. If your goal was to break Marinette, you succeeded quite nicely,” Nino said, sounding like he was trying not to laugh. “I didn’t know you had a crush on Marinette. I mean, I always kind of suspected, but you’re super oblivious to that kind of stuff so -”

“I am not,” Adrien said defensively, straightening up. Then he paused, forehead wrinkling. “And I _don’t_ like Marinette that way.”

Nino just gave him a look of complete disbelief. “Right. Because guys_ always_ bring flowers to girls that they just like as friends.”

“I just - she’s nice, okay? I wanted to do something nice for her in return!” Adrien huffed. Now he regretted not bringing the flowers to Marinette as Chat. At least _that_ would’ve made sense.

But if he’d done that, it wouldn’t have helped his friendship with Marinette as _Adrien_. Not that this little stunt had really helped either, but technically, as Chat Noir, he shouldn’t even be friends with a civilian. It was too dangerous and would put the spotlight on Marinette as a target if Hawkmoth ever found out. 

“Uh huh,” Nino said skeptically. “Cause you know if you _did_ like Marinette, that’s not a bad thing.”

“I don’t,” Adrien said. He couldn’t like Marinette; he had Ladybug.

Except… he didn’t _really_ have Ladybug, did he? Sure this arrangement was mutually beneficial for both of them, but that was as far as it went. Part of him had harbored a hope that Ladybug’s feelings towards him might change, but there hadn’t been any sign of that happening and they’d been doing this for almost a month now.

He flashed back to that time the akuma had interrupted them, when they’d been standing on the balcony and he’d watched her transform. Watched the intimacy and the passion fade away as cool professionalism took its place. Remembered how lonely he’d felt in that moment.

“Adrien. Hey.” Nino leaned over and bumped their shoulders together. “It’s okay. Marinette’s an awesome person. She’s funny and cute and sweet. Hell, I used to like her before I got together with Alya! And I have it on good authority that if you did like her, she would be totally down with that.”

“Really?” Adrien asked, then mentally slapped himself. He didn’t like Marinette that way! Sure she was really cool, and was amazingly creative and resourceful, and she was fierce enough to stand up to people like Chloé and Lila, and -

“Yes, really,” Nino said. “Just… think about it, okay?” He shot Adrien a smile and started to turn back to his book, then paused. “Oh, and uh, no more flowers until you guys are dating. That’s a mixed message if I ever heard one.”

“Ugh,” Adrien groaned, slamming his head back against the desk.

The rest of the day didn’t improve. Marinette could barely look him in the eye when she squeaked out a thank you before they left for the day. Adrien accepted her gratitude graciously, but couldn’t help feeling like he’d messed up big time as he walked out to the car after school.

_Did_ he like Marinette? He didn’t think so. His heart belonged to Ladybug. Yet Plagg teased him constantly about Marinette, and now even Nino had said that he’d had suspicions about Adrien liking Marinette for a long time. But he didn’t, right? You could think a girl was really fun and cute and amazing without liking her… right?

Naturally, once they were safely behind the closed door of Adrien’s bedroom, the first thing out of Plagg’s mouth was: “If you’d told me you were going to give her flowers in front of everyone, I would’ve told you not here! Or… maybe I wouldn’t have. That was hilarious.”

“Not helping,” Adrien said, falling onto his bed. “I was just trying to be nice.”

Plagg snickered. “And by doing so, you gave your girlfriend a heart attack.”

“She’s not my - god, nevermind, I give up.” Adrien buried his face in the pillows. Maybe he’d just suffocate himself. That seemed like an easy answer to all of his problems.


	15. Romance

From the moment Ladybug arrived, Adrien knew something was up. She was practically beaming, her blue eyes sparkling as she enthusiastically pushed open the balcony doors and swept into the room.

“Spots off!” she said, and red light zipped up her body. Tikki waved at Adrien as she flew over to the bathroom and phased through the door. Adrien wished her luck; Plagg was in another one of his weird moods.

“You seem unusually happy today, Bugaboo,” Adrien said, sitting up and looking at her curiously.

Ladybug beamed even as she reached up to straighten her cloth mask. “I am in a _very_ good mood today, _Chaton_,” she said with a giggle.

“How come?” Adrien asked. He could use some good news after spending the past two days stewing in confused misery. Ladybug and Marinette were making his brain a mess.

But if he was waiting for Ladybug to brighten him up, it turned out he was going to have a long wait. Because Ladybug turned to face him, clasped her hands under her chin, and gushed.

“The guy I’m in love with brought me flowers on Tuesday!”

Adrien’s smile instantly fell. It couldn’t have hurt more if she’d reached out and slapped him across the face. The guy she was in love with. Meaning, not him. Ladybug didn’t notice; she was practically dancing from foot to foot.

“It was just so unexpected. He just came up and gave them to me out of nowhere!” she continued excitedly.

“That’s… that’s great,” Adrien said. It took all of his considerable modeling skills to paste a smile on for her benefit.

Ladybug didn’t talk about the guy she was in love with very much, but Adrien had heard enough to figure out that the guy didn’t even know Ladybug existed… or _hadn’t_ known, at least. It seemed like that had changed. A knot of bitter jealousy lodged in his chest, making his breath catch.

Of _course_ that guy had figured out how amazing Ladybug was and was now trying to romance her. Who wouldn’t? Ladybug was amazing and any person would be extraordinarily lucky to have her. The force of her smile was enough to light up any room.

Except right now that smile just made Adrien feel like crying, because he’d never been the one to make her smile like _that_. This whole arrangement was supposed to have brought him and Ladybug closer together, but now it seemed more like it had forced them further apart than ever.

“Isn’t it? I wonder if he’ll ask me out on a date,” she went on dreamily.

“Maybe he will,” Adrien said. His voice shook a little. Naturally, Ladybug noticed.

“Chat? Are you okay?” she asked, peering at him and moving closer. She was wearing another shift dress today. The pink fabric fluttered tantalizingly around her thighs, but for the first time Adrien felt no desire to rip the dress off of her.

Maybe it was petty. Maybe it was dumb. Maybe it was rude. But he really… he just _couldn’t_ bring himself to follow through today. The hollowness in the pit of his stomach told him that he wouldn’t enjoy it, and moreover he wasn’t sure he’d be able to make her enjoy it either.

“Actually, My Lady, I’m feeling a bit under the weather,” Adrien said. “Would you mind if we just relaxed tonight?”

“Oh!” Ladybug seemed surprised by the request but nodded. “Sure. Are you sick? Can I help?”

She really was so sweet, if oblivious. But of course she didn’t think this was a big deal. How many times had she told him that she didn’t like him that way? How many times had she told him that she liked another guy? How many times had she told him that this arrangement was purely professional and had no strings attached?

Adrien was an idiot.

“I’ll be okay. I think I’m just tired,” he lied. “Wanna watch some television?” He patted the bed beside him.

“Okay,” Ladybug said, crawling up onto the bed beside him. She settled down and grabbed the remote, but Adrien paid little attention to what show she chose.

They watched television for a little over two hours before Adrien begged off, citing tiredness and homework. He knew, as he transformed and leaped out the window, that he was worrying Ladybug, and that wasn’t fair to her. But he just didn’t have it in himself to reassure her anymore right now.

He went home and detransformed. Plagg hovered quietly as Adrien walked over to his bed and threw himself down on it. Every time he closed his eyes, an image of Ladybug’s beautiful, happy face was there. It hurt so much to know that it wasn’t because of him.

No matter what he did, it was never enough. _Adrien _was never enough.

“Kid,” Plagg said softly.

“I’m so stupid,” Adrien said angrily. “How did I get myself into this mess, Plagg? I just - I wanted -”

He stopped before he could make himself cry. Because what he wanted with Ladybug wasn’t going to happen. Not anytime soon, anyway. Maybe never. Knowing Adrien’s bad luck, Ladybug and that guy would fall in love and get married and have a bunch of kids and be gloriously happy. It was what Ladybug deserved.

Plagg sighed. “I know what you wanted. And you weren’t wrong to want it. You and Ladybug… god you’re both so maddeningly _blind_.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Adrien mumbled, but honestly he really didn’t care. He rolled over, away from Plagg, and finally let the tears that had been burning at his eyes all night roll free.


	16. Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that I'm officially caught up, I'll resume updating just once a day from here on out.

“Kid, listen to me,” Plagg said.

“Go away,” Adrien mumbled into his pillow. He’d been crying for a long time. His face was sticky and swollen with tears, and his eyes were hot and puffy. Gabriel would have a heart attack if he could see his son right now, but that was never going to happen: he couldn’t remember the last time his father had bothered to check in on him after dark.

“Nope.” Plagg flew around to the other side of the bed and landed on Adrien’s pillow, which left them eye level with each other. There was an unusually serious look on Plagg’s face.

“What do you want?” Adrien asked with a damp sniffle. Couldn’t he be left alone to nurse his broken heart in peace?

“I want you to ask Marinette out on a date.”

Adrien paused, processed that what he thought he’d heard was what he’d _actually_ heard, and gaped. “What?!”

“You heard me,” Plagg said calmly, tail twitching.

“Plagg, that’s - that’s crazy! I can’t ask Marinette out,” Adrien exclaimed, wiping at his face. 

Plagg shrugged. “Why not?” 

“Because Marinette is my friend, and I’m in love with Ladybug,” Adrien said.

Plagg gave him a deadpan look. “You’ve spent the last two days trying to figure out if you also have a crush on Marinette. Correct me if I’m wrong because I’ve never wanted to know much about human mating habits, but isn’t going out on a date how you can find out for sure?”

“I - well, I mean yes, but -” Adrien shook his head. “No, I can’t do that. Marinette is a good person. She deserves better than to be my second choice.”

“Humans,” Plagg muttered in disgust, before he launched himself off the bed and flew up to stare Adrien in the face. “Look, Kid. By that logic, you’re never going to ask anyone out ever again because, on some level, you’re always going to wish you had Ladybug, right? So what, you just… plan to be alone forever?”

“Well… no,” Adrien said slowly, furrowing his eyebrows. 

“Of course not. I know you’re hung up on Ladybug, but frankly you are so _blinded_ by her that you’re not thinking straight. Take it from someone who knows you better than you know yourself, and from someone who has had to listen to you wax rhapsodic about the amazingness that is Marinette. You are _into_ that girl. Big time. And if you stop thinking about Ladybug for five minutes, I think you’d realize that.”

Plagg was being so weirdly aggressive about this that, for a moment, Adrien just kind of blinked at him. He’d never known Plagg to get this wound up about anything other than cheese. It left him momentarily speechless.

“So here’s what you’re going to do,” Plagg said, getting so close that all Adrien could see was Plagg’s big green eyes. “You’re going to go take a shower and clean up. You’re going to go to bed. You’re going to get up tomorrow morning and ask Marinette on a date. Ah!” He held up a paw to forestall any protests. “Then you are going to take her on that date and have the time of your life, got it?”

“Plagg… Why are you even being so insistent on this? You don’t even _know_ Marinette,” Adrien said.

“Because you’re my kit and I want you to be happy, and I’ve had _enough_ of this foolishness,” Plagg said heatedly. “I need you to get your shit straightened out so that I can go back to caring about nothing but cheese!”

Adrien stared at him for a long time. “… Are you okay?”

“No!” Plagg snapped. “I’m not! But you asking Marinette out would really make me feel better!”

“Uh…. okay?” Adrien said cautiously. He didn’t know if he was actually ready to date Marinette. He was willing to admit that he had a small crush on her, but the realization that he would probably never have Ladybug’s heart was a heavy weight on his shoulders. Still, Plagg was so adamant that Adrien didn’t know how to say no.

Plagg visibly relaxed. “Oh, thank every kwami out there,” he muttered. “And do me one more favor?”

“What?” Adrien said, sliding off the bed.

“Ask Marinette to wear her blue dress.”

“Her blue -” Adrien turned to look at Plagg, but Plagg had already darted across the room and disappeared into the fridge - presumably to devour the half a wheel of Camembert Adrien had put there earlier. Adrien stared after him for a moment, thoroughly bewildered, before going to shower.

He didn’t sleep well, so he was tired when he walked into the classroom the next morning. It surprised him how much it lifted his spirits when he saw that Marinette was already there, engaged in conversation with Alya and Nino. Her cheerful smile helped to assuage some of the lingering heartache.

Maybe, just _maybe_, Plagg was right.

Adrien walked up and took his seat, setting his bag down, then turned around. “Morning.”

“Hey Dude,” Nino said.

“Sunshine,” Alya said, crinkling her fingers.

“Hi Adrien,” Marinette said shyly, not quite meeting his eyes.

“Hi Marinette,” Adrien said. No time like the present. “Would you like to go out for lunch with me tomorrow? Just the two of us? On a date?”

Alya and Nino both gawked. Marinette’s eyes went very, very wide. Her mouth dropped. She didn’t seem capable of speaking, but she did manage to nod. Adrien smiled back at her.

“Great. It’ll be my treat,” he added, before turning back around. Behind him, Alya made a high-pitched wheezing sound and Marinette squeaked. Nino was looking back and forth between Adrien and Marinette with a dropped jaw.

Inside Adrien’s pocket, Plagg gently patted his holder’s chest in approval.


	17. Hair Pulling

When class broke for lunch that day, Alya leaned forward. “Hey Adrien, can we talk?”

“Sure,” Adrien said, surprised. He was supposed to go home for lunch, but a minute or two wouldn’t hurt.

“Alya,” Marinette said at the same time, voice filled with a warning that Adrien couldn’t parse. He turned around and watched the two of them frown at each other.

“Go, Marinette,” Alya said finally, crossing her arms. She looked like an immovable statue.

Marinette sighed and got up. She hesitated a moment, then shook her head and walked out of the room. Nino frowned at Alya and then hurried to catch up to Marinette, closing the classroom door behind them. Everyone else was gone, so that left Alya and Adrien alone.

Adrien was seized with a strange sense of foreboding, but smiled. “What can I do for you?”

“I need to know what your intentions are towards Marinette,” Alya said bluntly. “She’s my best friend and, although she doesn’t always show it, she’s got a soft heart. I need to make sure you’re not planning to break it.”

“What?!” Adrien exclaimed. “I would never do that.”

Alya narrowed her eyes. “Then why the sudden flowers and asking for a date?” she asked suspiciously. “What happened to ‘Marinette and I are just friends’?”

He couldn’t exactly say ‘my kwami made me do it’, so Adrien settled for the next best answer. “I think I like Marinette, but I’m not sure. I want to spend more time with her to find out.”

“Really?” Alya said, sounding a little skeptical. “Why now?”

“Um… I dunno. Lately… seeing Marinette makes me feel better,” Adrien said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck and staring at his desk. “Everything is… it’s been hard. Marinette makes it seem… easier, I guess?”

He lifted his head to look at her. She stood there for a moment longer, giving him a hard, scrutinizing look, before her expression softened.

“Aww,” she cooed, finally dropping her arms. “Adrien, that’s really sweet. I’m sorry for interrogating you. Marinette can just get really carried away and I didn’t want her expectations to be too high.”

Adrien wasn’t really sure what that meant, but he nodded anyway. “I’m not promising anything. I can’t, really. I just want a date. Maybe two. To see if we could, you know, work.”

“That’s totally fair,” Alya said, dropping into Nino’s seat. “So, where are you planning on taking her?”

Adrien opened his mouth and then closed it as he realized that he hadn’t thought that far ahead yet. A rush of panic shot through him. What did you even _do_ on a date?!

Alya smiled. “That’s what I thought. Marinette’s favorite café is the one over by the playground. It’s called _Étoiles_.”

“Right,” Adrien said, making a note.

“Her favorite flowers are tulips,” Alya went on. “She loves chocolate, especially milk chocolate, but she’s not that crazy about mint.” She leaned against Adrien’s arm, watching him write. “She also likes tea and cake, but don’t buy macarons. She’ll compare them to her parents and they _always_come up wanting.”

“No macarons. Got it. Maybe we can go to the café and then walk in the park. Or is that lame?” Adrien asked worriedly, looking at Alya.

“Honey, trust me. You could sit Marinette down and pull her hair for three hours straight and she would think it was an incredible date,” Alya said sincerely.

Adrien flushed a little, remembering Ladybug’s very positive reaction to having her hair pulled. He wondered if Marinette would like it too. The thought made his stomach tighten; he couldn’t help envisioning doing the things he’d done with Ladybug, with Marinette, and it wasn’t an unpleasant thought at all.

It struck him then how quickly this could get complicated. If he did start dating Marinette, he and Ladybug would have to stop what they were doing. That wouldn’t be fair to Marinette otherwise, nor to the guy that Ladybug wanted to date. And it wasn’t like Adrien would be able to explain why he had an arrangement on the side. He wouldn’t even be able to tell Marinette who he was, at least not for a while.

That realization made him a little sad. Would he _ever_ have someone who would be able to see him for everything that he was, not just the bits and pieces? Was it worth even trying with someone who couldn’t? He didn’t know, but Plagg seemed so _sure_…

“Oh,” he said suddenly. “Alya, can you do me a favor?”

“Sure,” Alya said.

“Can you make sure Marinette wears her blue dress that day?” Adrien asked.

Alya’s mouth curved into a sly smile and she giggled. “You already have a favorite outfit? That’s so cute. Of course I can. On one condition.”

“What?” Adrien asked a little warily.

“That blue scarf you have. The one you got got your birthday a few years ago. Can you wear it?” Alya’s eyes were twinkling.

“Uh… why?” Adrien said, puzzled.

“You and Marinette will match that way,” Alya explained, her smile widening.

Adrien shrugged. That made sense. “Yeah, I can do that. It’s getting chilly enough outside to wear it.”

“This is gonna be amazing,” Alya whispered gleefully, clutching his arm. “I’m so happy for you guys, Adrien, I really am. You and Marinette are _perfect_ for each other.”

“Sure,” Adrien said with a forced smile. “I gotta go, Alya. I have to get home.”

“Oh, right! Sorry!” Alya jumped up and helped him gather his things.

Adrien bade her goodbye and walked out the door, heading for the front of the school where the Gorilla was waiting. Maybe, he hoped, he’d feel better after he met with Ladybug tonight.


	18. Go Fuck Yourself

Chat was on pins and needles, to the point where he left his bedroom a full forty minutes before he was to meet Ladybug. He didn’t stop by Marinette’s tonight - he was too wound up inside, and seeing Marinette wasn’t going to help - but headed right for the hotel.

He froze when he landed on the balcony and heard voices coming from inside. His immediate thought was that the hotel had double booked the room, and that he was about to walk in on some tourists…

And then Ladybug stuck her head outside the balcony doors and smiled. “Hey. I thought I heard you. I guess I beat you here for once!”

“Oh, hey,” Chat said, startled. He made it a point to get here early so he could make sure everything was ready. It was still half an hour before she was supposed to show up.

She stepped back to let him in and he realized that the voices he’d heard were coming from the television. Chat pushed the balcony doors shut behind him before he turned to look at her. Unusually, she was still transformed and his heart sank.

He had already decided that he wasn’t going to tell her about his date with Marinette. Not yet anyway. That decision was only cemented when he saw the serious look on her face. His heart started to pound.

Was she about to break up with him? Not that they were dating. But it sure _felt_ like she was about to break his heart. Chat held his breath, hoping that his concern wasn’t painted across his face and knowing that it probably was.

“I guess I was anxious for tonight to come,” Ladybug said shyly, twirling the end of a pigtail around her finger. “I thought…”

“What?” Chat said, when she paused.

“I thought maybe we could stay transformed tonight,” Ladybug said, blushing. “That night you transformed, I liked it. So I thought you might like it too?”

All the tension rushed out of him. Chat chuckled, more from sheer relief than anything, and nodded. Making out with Ladybug while she was transformed only featured in like 90% of his fantasies, after all.

“What, were you expecting me to tell you to go fuck yourself?” he asked. “I am _never_ going to say no to that.”

Her shyness vanished, replaced by an excited grin. “Well, you never know. I didn’t want to assume.”

Chat nodded, because that was fair, but get the need to point out, “We can’t get naked though.”

Ladybug shot him a coy look. “No, but I’m sure you’ll think of a way for us to have fun even with our suits on.”

“I’ve only fantasized about it like a billion times,” Chat said, and she giggled.

“What should I do first, Sir?” she asked.

“Call me Chat tonight,” Chat said impulsively. He wanted the memory of Ladybug crying out his name. He _needed_ that.

He crossed the space between them and took her into his arms, lowering his head to kiss her. She responded immediately, pressing herself against him and kissing him back with a fervent desire that both surprised and excited him.

For the first time ever, he was free to let his hands roam over that spotted suit. Chat took shameless advantage, groping her ass, cunt and breasts as they kissed. She took equal advantage, her tiny hands moving freely over his butt, back and cock, until he was hard and he was positive she was soaking wet and if they didn’t move they were both going to come right here.

They weren’t in the advantageous position he wanted though, and Chat tired of it eventually. He scooped her up, smiling at her delighted squeal, and dumped her on the bed. She bounced a couple of times, giggling, and spread her arms to beckon at him.

Chat quickly joined her, rolling on top of her and kissing her again. She tasted like raspberry, he realized. Sweet raspberry. He licked the taste out of her mouth before lowering his lips to her neck.

“Oh,” Ladybug breathed, her fingers digging into his hair.

He hummed in response and ran his tongue across her throat, right where he knew she was sensitive, then followed it up with a gentle nip. The catlike instincts granted by the miraculous _really_ wanted him to mark her for all the word to see.

But they’d agreed on no marks above clothing, so Chat flipped them. Ladybug looked momentarily dazed to find herself on top, and he grinned up at her. Their first orgasms were always intense and fast unless he was deliberately making them last; he’d tease her through her suit later, but right now he wanted quick and dirty.

“Gonna come for me, My Lady?” he asked with a sultry smile, deliberately giving his voice an edge of a rumble. She loved his voice, he knew. Someday he wanted to see if he could get her off just by talking to her.

Ladybug’s cheeks flushed. “I dunno, _Chaton_, what’cha got?” she said with an edge of a challenge.

“This,” Chat said, grabbing her hips and manipulating her until she was straddling his thigh. “Now, push your leg up.”

Her eyes widened and her lips formed a small ‘o’ when she obeyed and he pushed his thigh up at the same time. Chat hissed through her teeth as the pressure of her thigh against his cock tingled through him, and she moaned softly at the feel of his thigh against her cunt.

“You’re going to rut against me until you make us both come,” Chat told her.

“Chat, that’s…” Ladybug looked a little embarrassed, he was amused to note. Maybe it was because this was the first time she wasn’t restrained, and she actually had to do the work? He wasn’t sure, but her blush and flustered expression made for a _very_ pretty sight.

“Do it,” he commanded in his Voice, and Ladybug gasped.

She started moving instantly, grinding her cunt against his thigh while she pressed against his cock. She was a warm, heavy weight on top of him. Truthfully he didn’t even need her to touch him to come; she was more than enough, absolutely _beautiful _in the moment, hair askew and hanging half out of her pigtails, lips parted, chest heaving.

He reached up and cupped her breasts, moving his thumbs in small circles over her nipples the way she liked. Ladybug’s rhythm stuttered briefly and she made a high-pitching whining sound, her eyes fluttering.

He deliberately shifted his hips and that got her moving again, though with a little more frequency this time. She was making these gaspy, sweet little sounds every time her clit made impact with his thigh. It was _delicious_.

“Chat, Chat,” she whimpered. “Are you, uh, are you?”

“Yeah,” Chat said, licking his lips. His breathing was getting ragged. He could feel his stomach tightening.

He wanted her to come first, so he played a dirty trick and pinched her nipples. Ladybug squealed, shuddering, and bent double with the force of her orgasm. He got an excellent view of how her eyes dilated and her lips formed his name; she cried out, breathy and sweet, and Chat froze.

Because the name Ladybug had cried out?

Adrien.


	19. Multiples

There was a moment of tense silence, during which they both stared at each other in shock, before Ladybug slapped her hand over her mouth and scrambled off of him. Chat opened his mouth to say something - what, he wasn’t sure - but it was too late. With an utterly horrified look, Ladybug raced over to the balcony doors, threw them open and jumped off the balcony.

Chat just sat there, still stunned. By the time he snapped out of it and hurried out onto the balcony, she was long gone and he knew there was no point in trying to chase her. If she didn’t want to be found, she wouldn’t be. Miserable, sticky and dissatisfied, he headed home.

“I just don’t understand it,” he lamented later, putting his head in his hands. “Do you think Ladybug knows who I am, Plagg?”

“I can say with complete certainty that she doesn’t,” Plagg replied. Then he muttered to himself, “If she _did_, I’d have to kill her for dragging my misery out on purpose.”

Adrien ignored that, flopping backwards onto his bed. “So then… why did she say my name? Was she even talking about me? Maybe she meant some other Adrien. It’s not an unpopular name…”

That would sting. Hearing Ladybug talk about dating another Adrien might be more than he could stand. He closed his eyes and sighed. But maybe she had been talking about him? God he hoped she wasn’t like Lila, who was in love with the caricature of Adrien Agreste that his father’s media team had created.

He didn’t think he’d be able to take _that_ either. It hadn’t taken him long to realize that his fans didn’t really _know_ him. They knew _of_ him. They knew he was handsome, that he dressed right and said the right things and smiled in the right places - for the most part, anyway.

They didn’t know that he loved puns and anime, that he had a sweet tooth and a weakness for Dupain-Cheng pastries in particular, that playing the piano was bittersweet because it made him miss his mom, that he loved physics and math but didn’t care for history, or even that he loved taking naps.

He wanted someone who wanted _him_. Adrien. Not Adrien Agreste, up-and-coming model of _Gabriel_, heir to a fortune and, if Nathalie’s projections were correct, soon to be named bachelor of the year once he was of age.

“Did you ever stop to think that maybe Ladybug knows you as a civilian?” Plagg said, pulling Adrien out of his morose thoughts.

Adrien looked at him in surprise. “Well… no. Not really. I’ve dreamed about it, sure. But I didn’t really think… wait, so you think Ladybug _was_ talking about me?”

Plagg was quiet for a moment. He stared at Adrien with a hard, scrutinizing look for several seconds. Adrien stared back, uncertain as to what Plagg was looking for. He only knew that he felt like he was going out of his mind. Everything with Ladybug and Marinette was just too much.

“Yes,” Plagg said finally with a decisive nod. “Yes, Kid, she was absolutely talking about you.”

“Can’t you tell me who she is?” Adrien asked quietly. They’d had this talk before. He knew that Plagg couldn’t. There was some deal between him and Tikki, brokered a long time ago, about letting Ladybug and Chat come to the reveal gradually and organically.

That didn’t make it any easier though.

“I can’t. But Adrien, you’re _so close_,” Plagg said, flying closer. “You can find her. I swear.”

Adrien sighed, disappointed. “Sure. Thanks. I’m gonna go shower. I have to get up early for a photo shoot.”

He showered and got into bed, but didn’t sleep. His brain kept replaying the moment when Ladybug had called out his name. _His_ name. Just because she knew him didn’t mean much though. Adrien knew lots of people between school, fencing, Chinese lessons, piano, and modeling. How would he ever narrow it down?

Nathalie came to get him before sunrise. They drove out to the location of the photoshoot. Adrien tried to put his best foot forward, but his head and heart weren’t in it today and he was positive that it showed. The photographer’s face, and the multiples they had to take of each photo, said it all.

When the shoot ended mid-afternoon, Nathalie came to collect him. “Are you okay, Adrien?” she asked stiffly.

“I’m fine,” Adrien muttered.

Nathalie frowned, but all she said was, “I’ll have your driver take you home.”

“No, I have fencing practice and I have to be there. We’ve got a tournament coming up,” Adrien said. In reality, he’d already emailed his teacher and made up a lie about the photoshoot lasting all day.

This date with Marinette felt like the only positive thing in his life right now. Come hell or high water, there was _no way_ he was missing out on it. He couldn’t bear thought of having to cancel on her now.

“Oh, right,” Nathalie said. “To your school, then.”

They arrived a few minutes after classes had let out. Adrien jumped out, slamming the door and walking quickly through the gate. As promised, he’d worn his blue scarf over his jacket today. He pulled it up closer to his face as he surveyed the grounds, hoping that he wasn’t too late and Marinette hadn’t given up -

“Adrien!”

His heart fluttered. A warm feeling went through him as he turned to see Marinette walking towards him. She was wearing a tailored, dove gray coat with darker gray boots, but he could see the hem of her blue dress peeking out below the coat. The warm feeling intensified and he smiled for the first time all day.

“Hey. Sorry I’m late,” he said.

Marinette smiled back. “It’s, um, it’s fine,” she said quietly. “I was just you for waiting - ah, waiting for you. I knew you’d come.”

His smile broadened. Mentally, he pushed aside all thoughts of Ladybug. He needed a few hours to forget about all that and just relax, and Marinette was exactly the person he wanted to do that with. He bowed to her, extending an arm.

“Shall we?” he asked.

Her cheeks turned pink but she nodded, shyly taking his arm. Out of the corner of his eye, Adrien noticed Alya taking pictures. He waved and so did Marinette, though she also rolled her eyes. Then they left through the gates together.


	20. Choked Up

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Adrien cast about for something to say. It wasn’t an awkward silence, or at least he didn’t think so, but he wanted to get to know Marinette better. And being quiet wasn’t really a way to do that. He summoned his nerves.

“I’m really glad that we’re getting the chance to do this today, Marinette,” Adrien said finally.

“Me too,” Marinette whispered. She seemed nervous. Adrien couldn’t fault her for that. He was nervous himself. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach, making him second-guess every word he wanted to say.

He didn’t think he’d ever wanted to impress someone as much as he wanted to impress Marinette today. But was he supposed to do that? She didn’t seem to be overly impressed by either Chat Noir _or_ Adrien Agreste. That didn’t leave much to work with. Still, he had to try.

“Alya told me that your favorite café is _Étoiles_. I thought we’d go there and then maybe take a walk in the park after,” he said finally. Much to his relief, she brightened at the idea

“That sounds lovely. The cake at _Étoiles_ is really good.”

“As good as your papa’s macarons?” Adrien asked innocently.

“_Nothing_ is as good as that,” Marinette said, shaking her head. “But… sometimes you just need a change, you know?” She looked up at him, blue eyes so, _so_ bright, and Adrien’s heart thumped a bit too hard.

Yeah, he knew.

They continued to chat as they walked to the café. Marinette helpfully filled him in on what he’d missed that day at school. Having a comfortable, easy topic seemed to go a long way towards the breaking the ice; she wasn’t stuttering over her words anymore, and even smiled at him a couple times.

When they got to _Étoiles_, Adrien held the door open for her automatically. Marinette flushed a bit but smiled again as she walked inside. They joined the end of the line and looked up at the frankly enormous menu. Adrien instantly felt lost as he scanned all the choices. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d picked out his own food.

“Uh, what should I get?” he asked Marinette. “What’s good here?”

Marinette wrinkled her nose in thought. “Hmm… chocolate or not?”

“Chocolate,” Adrien said quickly. What his father and his nutritionist didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.

“The chocolate raspberry cake is amazing,” she said immediately.

“Great. I’ll get that,” Adrien said. “Why don’t you go grab us a seat? It’s my treat,” he added before she could protest. “You can pay next time.”

Marinette’s mouth snapped shut. She turned red and nodded wordlessly, scuttling away. Adrien wasn’t really sure of the reason for her reaction until he realized that he’d unwittingly asked her out on another date. He had to tamp down the urge to slap himself in the face.

Instead, he watched as Marinette walked over to an empty table. She set her purse down but didn’t sit, instead reaching up to the zipper on her jacket; it _was_ a little warm in here. Adrien watched her intently, wanting to see why Plagg was so obsessed with this blue dress -

“I can’t believe that you’re breaking up with me!”

“Claudette, please!”

“No! It’s because of that slut, isn’t it?! You’ve been sleeping with her behind my back.” A flurry of sobs toke out behind Adrien.

“I - no, that’s not -”

“Oh shit,” Adrien whispered, his eyes catching on a blur of movement. His heart sank as he watched the akuma alight on the purse of a sobbing young woman.

“Cl-Claudette…” Her companion stammered, sounding choked up.

Adrien glanced around for Marinette only to see that she was gone. She must have recognized an on-coming akuma attack and ran, as many of the café’s patrons had already done. On the one hand, it meant Adrien didn’t need to come up with an excuse as he ran to the men’s room. On the other hand..

“I’m going to fucking _kill Hawkmoth_!” Plagg shrieked, bursting out of Adrien’s pocket the second the door had swung shut.

“Whoa,” Adrien said. “You okay?” He was disappointed about the unexpected route the date had taken, but it was nothing compared to Plagg.

“Adrien listen to me,” Plagg hissed, a wild look in his eyes. “You’ve got five minutes to destroy that akuma and get back to your date, or I’m going to Cataclysm your limited edition ‘Ladybug with a spinning yo-yo’ action figure. I have worked _too long and too hard_ to get you to this point only to have Hawkass fuck it up now!”

Adrien opened his mouth and then closed it, speechless.

“FUCKING _MOVE_!” Plagg screeched, and Adrien snapped out of his stupor.

“Uh - Plagg, claws out?” he said meekly. Plagg snarled and literally dove into the ring with such force that Adrien’s hand was pushed sideways.

Green light pulsed around him. Chat just stood there for a moment, staring at his miraculous in astonishment, before the sound of crashing and banging got him moving. He seized his baton, threw the door open, and rushed back out into the café.

Much to his surprise Ladybug was already there, and he could tell at a glance that she was _pissed_. She and the akuma were going at each other with a ferocity that honestly just made Chat want to take a step back, or maybe even run away with the rest of the café’s patrons.

“I am Heartbreaker! I’ll -”

“I don’t give a shit who you are!” Ladybug roared in the akuma’s face. “You’re interrupting the date I’ve been waiting _three years_ for!”

Wait, Ladybug was on a date too? Chat’s chest tightened a bit at the realization. She must have been in the area for her to have gotten here so quickly. Actually… his eyebrows furrowed. How had she known about the attack so fast?

“Dates are meaningless!” the akuma cried. “Men will always leave you!”

“That’s not true, but I don’t have time to pretend to sympathize with you,” Ladybug snapped. “You better hope my cure puts that chocolate raspberry cake back together, because Adrien and I are going to be sharing a piece!” She punched the akuma hard enough to send the wailing akuma flying backwards.

Time seemed to slow.

Chat’s eyes widened.

The blue dress.

Ladybug’s quick arrival.

Marinette knowing he was going to meet Ladybug even though Chat didn’t remember telling her that.

The flowers, which Ladybug had coincidentally gotten the same day he’d given some to Marinette.

The date.

The cake.

His _name_.

Plagg’s increasingly over-the-top reactions.

_Oh_.


	21. Toe Curling

The battle was over within seven minutes. It might have even been a new record. Ladybug cast her Lucky Charm and then had to yell at Chat to get him moving; he clumsily stumbled forward and Cataclysmed the akuma’s purse.

As Ladybug watched the purified butterfly flutter away, Chat turned to look at her. His heart was racing with his recent revelation, and he knew he couldn’t bear another moment of this.

He had to tell her. All this dancing around that they’d been doing for no reason. The hours of crying. The pent-up feelings. The knowledge that he would never be able to have everything he wanted. It was all so _dumb_. So pointless. And she needed to know.

“Ladybug, can I talk to you?” he asked.

“Can’t it wait? I’m in the middle of something,” Ladybug said. She was trying to look around out the door, probably wondering if Adrien was going to come back.

If only she knew he’d never left.

“No. It really can’t.” He dared to take her hand, half-expecting her to pull away. When she didn’t, he breathed a sigh of relief and led her to the back of the café, where they emerged into an alley.

But as the door swung shut behind them, Chat realized he had no idea how to begin. How did you tell someone that you thought you knew who they were when that person had explicitly asked you _not _to figure it out? What if she got mad at him?

What if she was disappointed? The thought made his stomach curl. If he was right, and Ladybug was Marinette and she was disappointed, then he’d lose both the girls he was in love with in one fell swoop. Chat didn’t think he could handle that.

Maybe he shouldn’t say anything at all.

“What is it?” Ladybug asked. There was a mixture of curiosity and concern in her expression as she watched him pace back and forth. Both of their miraculous beeped

Chat swallowed, realizing that staying quiet wasn’t an option. It would be a betrayal of Ladybug’s trust. Evidence would only continue to mount, he was sure, as he got the chance to go over prior encounters with both Ladybug and Marinette and line up the dots. That wasn’t fair to her.

“I had a date today too,” he blurted out finally, turning to look at her.

“Oh.” Ladybug’s face did something complicated for several seconds before smoothing out into a forced smile.

They stared at each other for a long moment in silence, neither knowing how to continue. It was going to have to be him, Chat knew. He thought of Plagg, and how ridiculously pissed Plagg would be if he chickened out now, and that gave him the courage to continue.

“It was with a girl that I think I really like. But I didn’t see her that way for a long time because I was too caught up in my feelings for you,” he admitted.

“Chat…” Ladybug said softly. “I’ve told you nothing is going to happen between us. I’m sure you heard me say I was on a date today too. I really -”

“Don’t,” Chat said quickly, holding up a hand. He couldn’t let her confess to him, if that was what she was doing, without telling her who he was. Ladybug would be _mortified_ otherwise.

But she took that the wrong way and sighed. “It’s time you face reality, Chat. You and me won’t work.”

“Because you don’t love me?” Chat asked, momentarily detracted from his task. It suddenly seemed monumentally important that he know the answer.

_Did_ Ladybug love him? At all? Because he wasn’t just Adrien Agreste. He was Chat Noir too. And he had to know if he could make the cut as Chat before he could tell her about Adrien.

Ladybug hesitated for long enough that his heart sank. He didn’t regret asking, because he wanted to know, but it stung to know that even after everything, she still didn’t him that way. He’d given her as much as she would allow and it still wasn’t enough -

But then, as their miraculous beeped again, she said, “At one time I would’ve said no. Not the way you mean. But… you deserve the truth.”

“Which is?” Chat asked, hardly daring to breathe less he miss a moment of what she said.

“I might have a small crush on you,” she confessed. “But it doesn’t matter. We won’t work. There’s too many secrets between us… and besides, it’s too dangerous. Hawkmoth knows how much we care about each other already. Finding out that we’re romantically involved might push things over the edge. Frankly, we shouldn’t have gone as far as we did…”

She had a crush on him. On _him_! Chat couldn’t help the foolish smile that crossed his face. His toes curled in pleasure as his kitty ears perked up. Ladybug immediately noticed the dopey smile on his face and narrowed her eyes.

“Stop that. I literally just said things aren’t going to happen between us. Besides all that, I’m in love with someone else. Now that I’m finally getting my chance, I can’t just let him go. After waiting for so long for him to notice me, I owe it to myself to find out if I can make things work with him. I’m sorry, _Chaton_. If this other girl makes you happy, you should be with her.”

Chat’s smile broadened and he chuckled. “Oh, she makes me happy. Happier than I ever realized I could be.”

“Great,” Ladybug said with another forced smile. “I have to go. I’m down to two beeps.” She grabbed her yo-yo.

“Wait!” Chat said.

Ladybug sighed. “_What_?” she demanded in a tone that suggested she was fast losing patience.

“What if we could date as civilians?” Chat said, moving closer to her.

“Chat, I _literally_ just said -”

“I know what you said. But what if…” He grabbed her hands and held them both. “What if the time we’ve spent together clued me in on some things, and I’ve realized just how _stupid_ we’ve both been over the past few months?”

Ladybug tensed. “What are you talking about?”

Chat tightened his grip. “I’m saying that I love you, Marinette.”

Her jaw dropped. Shock and confusion flashed over her face. She’d gone still as a statue, barely even breathing, as she struggled to process that he knew who she was. Chat might have felt bad about dropping that bomb on her, but he wasn’t quite finished yet.

“Plagg,” he whispered, keeping his eyes on hers. “Claws in.”


	22. Climax

Ladybug stood perfectly still even as her miraculous beeped one last time. Her transformation wore off in a flash of red light and Tikki appeared, leaving Adrien and Marinette standing there staring at each other while holding hands. Marinette’s face was so blank that Adrien couldn’t figure out what she was thinking, and that made him nervous. He was just about to ask her if she was okay when - 

“Fucking _finally_!”

Adrien startled, because contrary to belief it _wasn’t _Plagg who had spoken. Still holding Marinette’s hands, he turned to Tikki in astonishment. Tikki was staring at him and Marinette with her paws on her hips, a look of what could only be described as abject disgust on her little face. 

“Right?” Plagg said, hovering beside Tikki with his paws crossed over his chest. “I swear, Tikki, I don’t know that we’ve ever had a bug and kitten quite this oblivious.”

“The shorts,” Tikki said, throwing her paws up.

“The dress,” Plagg countered.

“The phone!”

“The flowers!”

“Hey!” Adrien said sharply. “Do you guys mind? You’re ruining our big moment!” He scowled at the two kwamis. He hadn’t exactly expected the climax of his and his partner’s relationship to happen while accompanied by snarky kwami commentary.

Suddenly, Marinette laughed. Adrien, Tikki and Plagg all whipped around to stare at her in astonishment. At their expressions, Marinette only laughed harder, practically bending over with the force of her glee. Adrien and Plagg exchanged looks, while Tikki slowly flew over to her holder.

“Marinette?” Tikki asked cautiously. “Are you okay?”

“I’m just - I can’t - my god, we’re so _STUPID_!” Marinette burst out, tugging one of her hands free from Adrien to wipe at her eyes. 

“Yes, you really are,” Plagg said with a fervent nod.

“I can’t believe this,” Marinette went on. “Do you even know how much time I wasted agonizing between Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir?” She was grinning and shaking her head.

“No, but I’m going to guess it’s directly proportionated to how much time _I _spent agonizing between Ladybug and Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Adrien replied, feeling a little more optimistic. She wasn’t laughing hysterically at the thought of being with him, so he was taking this as a positive sign.

Her face softened a little at that, and she squeezed his hand. “I’m really freaking out right now,” she admitted.

“Me too,” Adrien said. “Sorry I wasn’t much help during the fight. You kind of broke my brain when you said you were on a date with Adrien and I put everything together.” He paused. “And also, you were so pissed you seemed to have it under control.”

Marinette wasn’t listening. She was looking at Tikki. “Oh,” she said, as though realizing something.

“What?” Adrien asked.

“I thought it was to spare your feelings when Tikki told me that I shouldn’t mention my date with Adrien to Chat,” Marinette said slowly. “But I guess it was to keep you from realizing -”

“You _what_?!” Plagg shrieked, cutting Marinette off. “Tikki, how _could_ you? I’ve been working for weeks to give Adrien a clue and you were actively working _against_ me?!”

“I was trying to spare Adrien’s feelings!” Tikki yelled back.

“He might’ve figured it out sooner!”

“Or he might not have, and it would’ve made them both miserable!”

“So instead it was okay if _I_ got to miserable?!”

“Oh my god, Plagg, you’re not a century old! You survived!”

“Something tells me we might regret this reveal,” Marinette said, watching the two kwamis with furrowed eyebrows.

“I won’t,” Adrien said, bringing her hand up and kissing the back of it. Honestly, it was more habit than anything now. But watching the way Marinette turned bright red made him want to start doing it more often and with intent. That was _adorable_.

He hadn’t been lying when he said he was freaking out a little too. Well, a lot. In the span of an hour, he’d discovered that he hadn’t been crushing on two girls after all. There was just one girl. One amazing, incredible girl. In some ways, it was easy to mesh Ladybug and Marinette together in his mind. But in others, well… it was going to take some time.

“I know we were supposed to have our date today, but do you think we could reschedule?” Marinette asked. “I need some time to think. To - to figure things out. My brain is just… screaming at me right now.”

Adrien couldn’t deny that he was disappointed, because he’d really been looking forward to their date, but he also understood where she was coming from. It was a lot to process. Neither one of them had been expecting this today. He’d always thought that when they revealed their identities to each other, it would be in a controlled environment because they were both ready.

_Not_ because their kwamis were snapping from the pressure of a sustained period of obliviousness and denial.

“I think that’s fair. I’m tired, anyway. I haven’t been sleeping very well the last few nights,” Adrien said.

Marinette sighed. “I know what you mean. I just - ugh!” She let go of his hand and reached up to tug at her pigtails in frustration. “I have to go before I start screaming too.”

“Will you text me later?” Adrien asked, suddenly seized by an irrational but deep-seated fear that if she left now, he’d never see her again. He didn’t think he could bear losing Marinette.

“Of course I will. Hey.” Marinette reached out and tipped his chin up so that he was looking directly at her. “It’s gonna be okay, _Chaton_.”

“You sure about that?” Adrien whispered.

“Yes,” Marinette said, with an air of such determined stubbornness that it was clear she was ready to face down the whole world. Looking at her now, Adrien couldn’t see how he’d missed it for so long.

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She nodded and gave him a small smile, then grabbed Tikki and left. Without Tikki and Plagg squabbling at each other, the alley was overly quiet. Adrien leaned against the wall, head spinning. She hadn’t leaped into his arms and professed her undying love, but she also hadn’t demanded the Black Cat miraculous back. 

“You owe me so much Camembert,” Plagg said, and when Adrien opened an eye it was to see that Plagg was hovering right in front of his face.

He sighed and smiled to himself. “Yeah, I know. Thanks, Plagg.”

“Didn’t do it for you,” Plagg huffed, but, when Adrien reached out to pet him, he butted hard enough against Adrien’s hand that Adrien knew that for the lie that it was.


	23. Teeth

The urge to text Marinette was strong that night, but Adrien refrained. She had asked for space and he was going to give it to her no matter how hard it was or how crazy he drove himself. Besides, much as he hated to admit it, the truth was that he needed a little space himself.

But he got up the next morning feeling excited at the prospect of seeing her, and hurried through his breakfast. Nathalie cast him a couple of suspicious looks, but didn’t otherwise ask him any questions. She let him go after a reminder about his Chinese lesson after school.

Adrien walked into the classroom hoping that Marinette would already be there, but of course she wasn’t. He’d already realized that she was usually only early after they spent a night together, which led him to believe she felt as good the next morning as he did. Or at least, he hoped she did.

Maybe even, if he played his cards right, good enough to continue… or so he hoped. He really wanted to know what it would be like to be intimate with his lady with no masks between them. It was such an appealing thought that he nearly missed Alya talking to him.

“Hey Sunshine,” Alya said, resting her chin on her hand. “Marinette told me an akuma interrupted your date and that you had to leave after. That sucks. I’m sorry.”

“Stupid Hawkmoth. Of all the times,” Nino added.

“It’s okay,” Adrien said, surprising them both. But it really was. Sure he’d had to listen to Plagg’s gloating all night, but he didn’t regret what had happened.

How could he? Now he knew who Ladybug was, which was information he’d been yearning for. And for better or worse, she knew who he was too. _Finally_ he would know if there could be something between them… something untouched by secrets or identities.

“Are you going to try again?” Alya asked, and Adrien glanced back at her.

“I hope so? That’s really more up to Marinette than me. I’d like to, but I’m not so sure about her,” he replied honestly.

Nino snorted. “I’m pretty sure she will,” he said, exchanging an amused look with Alya.

Adrien tried not to blush too obviously as he sat down. He’d figured out last night that _he_ was the boy who Ladybug had been crushing on all this time. Which meant _Marinette_ had been crushing on him and he’d never noticed. All the thoughtless things he’d done over the years made him want to cringe.

“Well, if she does I might need help planning another date,” Adrien said, looking hopefully at Alya.

“Sure. But honestly, it’s not really about what you do. Marinette would love any activity you plan,” Alya told him.

That was true. And honestly, he was probably past the point of being able to impress Marinette. She’d already seen him at his best and at his worst. If she didn’t want him, he didn’t think there would be much he could do to change her mind.

The door slid open again. Adrien’s head swiveled automatically and his heart skipped a beat when Marinette walked in. She looked tired until she caught his eye. Then a smile lit up her face and she walked over to him.

“Hi Adrien,” she said softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears. She was wearing her hair down today, along with a pair of denim shorts and a pink tank top.

A tank top Ladybug had _also_ worn. God, Adrien really was stupid. It was a wonder that Plagg hadn’t just snapped and screamed the truth in his face. In fact, Adrien wondered if that might not have been Plagg’s next course of action had the date not made Adrien catch on.

“Hi,” he said, turning towards her. “Um… how are you?”

_How are you_? Could he be any more lame? There went any chance he had of pretending to be suave and/or cool. Adrien grimaced at himself and Marinette giggled.

“I’m okay,” she said, dropping a small paper bag on his desk. “That’s for you.”

“You brought me something?” Adrien said, unable to hide his surprise.

Marinette nodded. “It’s not much. But you can open it.”

He did so, finding three immaculate macarons and a slip of paper. Despite how tantalizing the dessert looked, he glanced at the paper first, eyes widening. In Marinette’s neat, curvy handwriting were the words:

‘_Kitty, meet me tonight at our place?_’

Adrien’s grip tightened on the paper and he glanced up to meet her eyes again. He didn’t know how, because Ladybug and Chat Noir had found lots of places over the years, but he intuitively knew she meant their hotel room.

It made sense. That was the place where they were guaranteed the most privacy. So long as no akuma attacks happened - and Adrien was desperately hoping that there wouldn’t be any - they would be able to talk.

He gave her a subtle nod and she nodded back before rounding the steps and moving up to her desk. Adrien became aware of Nino looking over his shoulder and hastily crumbled the paper, but as it turned out Nino couldn’t have cared less about the note.

“Macarons! And you didn’t bring any for us?” he cried, spinning around to stare at Marinette.

“What? No fair,” Alya chimed in, pasting on a pout.

Marinette grinned. “Chill out, you two. I didn’t bring you guys macarons, but Maman gave me four croissants on my way out the door. I _might_ be persuaded to share…”

Alya and Nino began begging immediately, dramatically clasping their hands to their chests. Adrien joined in with his best set of kitty eyes. Marinette laughed again and shook her head, reaching down to grab her backpack. Three sets of eager eyes watched her take a wrapped napkin from her bag.

She distributed a warm croissant to each of them. Adrien barely held back an inappropriate moan as his teeth sank into the soft, buttery layers of pastry. But his expression must’ve spoke volumes because Marinette stared at him with pink cheeks.

“God that’s delicious,” Alya said with a happy sigh. “Gonna share your macarons, Agreste?”

“Yeah, share the wealth!” Nino said.

Adrien finished his croissant and shook his head. “Nope. Sorry. These are _all mine_.”

He pulled a macaron from the bag. It was chocolate with a pink filling of some kind. Aware that Marinette, Alya and Nino were watching him like hawks, he slowly bit into the macaron. Rich, creamy chocolate met his tongue first, followed by something sharper and tangier.

Adrien stopped chewing as realization hit him. He looked at Marinette. She smiled, slow and sexy, and winked.

Turned out chocolate and raspberry really _did_ go well together.


	24. Dance for Me

“How do I look?” Adrien asked, striking a pose that would’ve gained him a round of applause from a photographer.

Plagg, on the other hand, didn’t even look up from his cheese, just rattled off a bored, “Fine.”

“Plagg! You didn’t even look!” Adrien said in exasperation, dropping the pose and just barely resisting the urge to stamp his foot.

Plagg rolled his eyes and finally looked up to give Adrien a two second onceover. “You look fine.”

“I don’t believe you. I’m changing.” Adrien turned back towards his closet and the piles of clothing on the floor. Maybe he should try the red shirt with his jeans? Would it be too much to show up in red? Would it seem like he was trying too hard?

“Oh, for - Kid, seriously, you look fine. Your last outfit looked fine. So did the one before that,” Plagg said, tossing back his last chunk of cheese. He chewed noisily.

“I can’t just look _fine_. It’s _Marinette_. It’s _Ladybug_. I have to look _amazing_!” Adrien could feel his tension mounting with each word. He wanted to tear his hair out.

“I can’t believe I almost regret the reveal,” Plagg muttered.

Adrien chose to ignore that, rummaging around until he unearthed a green t-shirt with the words ‘Dance with Me’ emblazoned across the front in purple. He cast it aside in disgust and looked despondently at the remains of his once-neat closet.

“I don’t have anything to wear!” he cried.

“Adrien! Would you get a grip?” Plagg barked. “Listen to yourself. Marinette has seen most of your wardrobe. She’s seen you in your boxers - hell, she’s seen you _naked_. What you wear today doesn’t matter!”

Adrien stared at Plagg.

Plagg stared back.

Then Adrien sniffed and crossed his arms over his chest, pasting on his best ‘hurt kitten’ face.

Plagg cracked first, letting out a long-suffering groan. “Fine. I’ll help you pick something out. Can’t even _believe_…” The rest of his sentence was muffled when he plunged into the mountain of clothes. Adrien waited.

Finally, Plagg emerged clutching black jeans and a fitted green, long-sleeved shirt. “Wear these.”

“Are you sure?” Adrien asked doubtfully.

Plagg glared at him. “She likes it when you wear green! Now change your clothes before _I_ change my mind about us going!”

Adrien scrambled to obey, sensing that he was really pushing the outer limits of Plagg’s good graces now. He hauled on the jeans and the shirt and checked himself out in the mirror. It didn’t look too bad. The jeans made his butt look good and the color of the shirt made his eyes pop.

“Finally,” Plagg grumbled. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

“Right. Plagg, claws out!”

Chat jumped out the window and made his way across the rooftops. He was both excited and nervous; Marinette had been mostly normal towards him in school today, though he’d noticed that she hadn’t stuttered or stammered around him once. That had to be a good sign, right?

Once again, Ladybug had beaten him there. She was standing beside the bed when Chat entered, staring down at the sheets with a very red face. Chat gulped and blushed too, remembering what they’d done on that bed. What he still wanted to do, if he were being honest, maybe even more than he had before.

Ladybug looked up at him slowly. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Chat said.

“This is weird, isn’t it?” Ladybug said with a nervous giggle. “I’ve never been able to look at you and know who was behind that mask.”

“It’s weird, but nice,” Chat said, moving a little closer.

“Yeah, you’re right. Um… should we, um… detransform?” she asked.

She wanted him to take the lead, he realized. Something about that knowledge made him relax a little, some of his tension and nerves draining away. He could do this. He was comfortable with this.

“Yes,” he said decisively. “I think we should have this talk without any masks.”

Ladybug smiled. “Me too. Tikki, spots off.”

“Claws in,” Chat said at the same time.

Red light peeled away from her, leaving her standing there in the same denim shorts she’d worn earlier, a ruffly red tank top… and no mask. Adrien’s heart stuttered at the sight. He could hardly believe he was so _lucky_.

He closed the remaining distance between them without much thought, reaching up to cup her cheek. She relaxed at his touch, closing her eyes as his thumb gently traced the place where her mask had sat. Marinette smiled at that, holding very still.

“I thought this might be weird or awkward,” Adrien said finally. “But… it’s not.”

Marinette opened her eyes. “No, it’s not,” she agreed in a whisper.

They had to talk. Adrien knew that. He really did. Yet he felt an almost irresistible urge to lean down and kiss her. They had kissed many times as Ladybug and Chat, yet the fact that they’d never kissed as Adrien and Marinette suddenly seemed like a grevious oversight.

And it had been so long since he’d tasted her. Any part of her. He found himself leaning in a little bit. She matched him inch for inch, until they were so close they were breathing each other’s air. Hawkmoth couldn’t have pried them apart.

“Marinette… may I kiss you?” he breathed.

“Yes,” she said, soft but _needy_: it was the same edge of desperation she gained whenever he was teasing her and she came a bit too close to the edge, and it lit a fire inside of him that he couldn’t deny.

He swooped down and pressed their mouths together. Marinette gave a small gasp at the initial contact, her lips parting. Adrien meant for it to just be a short kiss, but then she leaned up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her fingers slid into his hair and she kissed him harder.

That same feeling of passion roared through him, but this time it was tempered by the satisfaction of belonging. Adrien eagerly matched her kiss for kiss, riding the wave of her enthusiasm. He barely even noticed that they were moving until the backs of Marinette’s legs hit the bed.

She fell back, but her grip on him was strong enough that he fell forward too. Adrien shot a hand out to stop himself from faceplanting onto her just in time, and ended up hovering over her. Marinette lay back, gasping, lips swollen and eyes hungry. He was sure he looked just as wild.

They stared at each other for a moment.

Then Adrien leaned down just as her grip tightened and she pulled, and their lips came together again.


	25. Quiet Night In

“Adrien, stop for a second,” Marinette whispered after several long, blissful minutes of making out.

He pulled back immediately, looking down at her in concern - afraid he’d overstepped his bounds somehow. But Marinette met his gaze and smiled. She sat up slightly amd reached down, grabbing the hem of her shirt. She wriggled around until the fabric was up around her neck, then pulled it off and threw it across the room.

Adrien’s attention was immediately riveted the simple red bra she was wearing. It was astonishing how much of an effect she could have on him. He wanted to touch her so badly that his hands flexed against the comforter, but he had to know that she was okay with it first.

“Are you sure?” he asked hoarsely. “We don’t have to…”

Marinette nodded, her expression serious. “I’m very sure. You haven’t fucked me yet, and I’d really like you to.”

Hearing Marinette say_ that_ word in _that _context made his heart speed up and he wasn’t about to say no. He quickly divested himself of his own shirt. Marinette unsnapped her bra and pulled it off, leaving them both naked from the waist up. Adrien palmed her breasts, rubbing his thumbs over her hardened nipples.

It was a rush to be able to see all of her face instead of just part of it. He’d always known she liked it when he touched her nipples, and that she was sensitive there, but being able to see the way her nose wrinkled with pleasure was too cute. He rubbed a little harder and was rewarded with a gasp.

“Tease,” Marinette said breathlessly, arching her back to bring their lower halves into contact.

Adrien bit back a groan at the light pressure against his cock and shook his head. “I’m only a tease if I don’t follow through,” he retorted, bending his head to lick at her left nipple.

“Oh!” Marinette gasped at the feeling and squirmed. “I never told you… your tongue is kind of rough, like a cat’s.”

He chuckled. “No wonder you liked it so much when I licked your pussy,” he said slyly, glancing up in time to see her cheeks darken with a blush. He smirked and then kissed his way down her body until he got to her shorts. He thumbed them open… then froze.

“You’re not the only tease,” Marinette said, giggling.

She was going commando. Adrien licked his lips. “Please tell me you didn’t spend all day at school like this.”

“Maybe,” she said coyly, reaching down to flick him under the chin. Her eyes sparkled teasingly.

Adrien huffed and grabbed her hips, quickly flipping her over onto her hands and knees. Then he spanked her, just once, across her butt. Marinette squealed and then giggled, wiggling her hips. He took that as an invitation to grab her shorts and yank them down.

She was soaked already, and he didn’t hesitate to put his face to her cunt and lick her. Marinette gasped and then moaned, pushing herself back against his face. He gripped her hips again and held her, preventing her from moving, while he slowly licked her again. This time, he paid special attention to the area around her clit.

“Adrien, Adrien, please,” she began to beg.

Adrien spanked her again. “That’s not my name, is it?”

“Sir,” she burst out. “Please, Sir. Fuck me.”

He pretended to think about it, sitting up behind her. He cupped her pussy and teasingly ran his finger around her entrance. She whined when he slowly slid a finger inside of her, feeling her soft, warm walls. 

“I don’t know. Are you sure you really want it?” he asked.

“Yes! I really want it, Sir. I feel so empty. Last night I fell asleep thinking about your cock. I have a vibrator at home and I fucked myself on it thinking that it might be enough, but it wasn’t. I really want to feel _you_, Sir, _please_!”

That was probably the hottest thing Adrien had ever heard. He pulled his finger out and moved closer, taking his cock in hand. He teased her for a couple of minutes, sliding the head of his dick up and down her soaked cunt. She kept clenching down whenever he got close to her hole, like she could pull him inside through sheer willpower.

“I’m gonna fuck you so hard that no vibrator will ever compare,” Adrien whispered, and saw her tense right before he slowly started pushing inside. It felt incredible, the air rushing from his lungs as he forced himself to pause partway in.

“Don’t stop!” Marinette immediately pleaded.

Adrien took a deep breath and pushed the rest of the way in. Marinette was panting and squeezing around him. He saw the moment her hand left the bed, probably to rub her clit, and slapped her butt again.

“That clit is mine. Don’t you touch it,” he said sharply.

She whimpered but returned her hand to the bed. Adrien pulled out and then slowly pushed back in, quickly establishing a rhythm. He could tell that he wasn’t going to last long; she felt too good, and the knowledge that he was fucking Marinette, fucking _Ladybug_, had him revved up like crazy.

Marinette was shaking by the time he came, soft little pleas spilling from her lips. Adrien took a moment to savor the feeling of coming inside of her before he pulled out and rolled over onto his back. He slid his head between her legs and felt another jolt of pleasure when he saw the frustrated desire written across her face.

He pushed her thighs open, encouraging her to do a mock-split, until her cunt came into contact with his face. He immediately wrapped his lips around her clit and began flicking it lightly with his tongue. Marinette _shrieked_, squirming against him; it was probably too much for her, but he refused to let up and his hands around her thighs meant she couldn’t escape.

She came with a low cry of his name, though this time Adrien relished the sound. He kept licking at her until she was squirming again, whimpering for him to stop because she was sensitive. He thought about ignoring her and continuing until she came again, but decided to be merciful and give her a temporary break.

Adrien slid out from under her and helped her roll over, then laid down beside her. She was gasping, her face flushed. He leaned in close and gave her a silly grin and she blushed, pushing his face away, which made him laugh. He drew back and relaxed, staring at the ceiling.

Not bad for a quiet night in.


	26. Big Day Out

“We’re really dumb, you know?” Marinette said, staring up at the ceiling.

Adrien shifted to lay his head beside hers. He liked the thought that he could see exactly what she was seeing. Plus, up close he could breathe in her scent. She smelled like vanilla shampoo, lavender body wash, and sweat. It was comforting and familiar and sexy all at once.

“I know. I always thought I’d know you right away outside the suit,” he said. “Then come to find out you’ve been right behind me the whole time!”

“And you’ve been right in front of me,” Marinette said with a smile. “It’s a good thing your hairstyle changes when you transform, or else i would’ve pegged you immediately.”

“What do you mean?” Adrien asked.

“I stare at the back of your head a lot,” Marinette admitted.

“Oh… right,” Adrien said. It was funny. He’d been tearing himself up over two girls, but in reality he’d fallen for the same girl twice. All the qualities he’d loved so much in Ladybug had, of course, been present in Marinette too. He just had to take the time to notice them. Once he did, he fell like a ton of bricks.

And the same thing had happened to her. She’d been torn between Adrien and Chat. His heart fluttered when he remembered what Ladybug had said about liking a boy for the better part of three years now. Maybe if he’d noticed sooner, then all of this would’ve happened a long time ago…

Or maybe not. Maybe neither of them had been ready.

“What happens now?” Marinette asked softly.

“What do you mean?” Adrien asked, turning to look at her. The profile of her face was so familiar. He wondered if it would ever stop being exciting to see it without a mask.

“Are we…” Marinette blushed. “Are we dating?” she asked, nervously twining her fingers in the sheet.

“Ah…” Adrien blushed too. “I don’t know. You said all that stuff about Ladybug and Chat not working… but I still think their civilian selves could.”

“I think so too,” Marinette said shyly.

Adrien felt a renewed surge of hope. “Really?”

“Yeah… but we’d have to keep it outside the masks. We can’t let anyone know that anything has changed between Chat and Ladybug,” she said sternly. “That means no flirting.”

“Hey, I always flirt! Hawkmoth would know something was wrong if I didn’t,” Adrien pointed out.

Marinette wrinkled her nose and then sighed. “Ugh, you’re right.”

“You’ll just have to keep your hands off me, that’s all,” Adrien teased.

“Somehow I think I’ll manage,” Marinette said dryly.

“Pfft, that’s not what you said last time when Chat had you tied to the bed, or when you were riding me,” he said, grinning.

She turned bright red. “That - That wasn’t - oh my god, Adrien!”

He burst out laughing and she sat up, grabbed a pillow, and swatted him with it. Adrien yelped in surprise and Marinette smirked at him. He narrowed his eyes and grabbed the other pillow. They both jumped to their feet with their weapons ready. Within seconds, they were having an all-out pillow fight. They didn’t even notice the bathroom door opening.

“Alright, break it up!” Plagg yelled after several minutes.

Adrien stopped, panting. “Spoilsport.”

“It’s after midnight and you’ve both got school tomorrow,” Tikki sternly. “If you’re all finished, you should both go home.”

Marinette sighed and dropped her pillow. “I guess they’re right.”

Adrien looked over at her. She was still naked; they’d both cleaned up but neither had dressed. It was tempting to pull her back down onto the bed and go for round three, but he knew that he shouldn’t.

He was going to have a big day tomorrow. He’d missed a lot of time in the past couple of weeks for photo shoots and he was going to have to collect all the work he’d missed out on. He didn’t relish the thought of playing catch-up.

“Let’s plan another date,” he said suddenly.

Marinette jumped down off the bed. “Sure. When do you want to go?” She walked over to grab her bra.

“I’ll have to check my schedule, but soon,” Adrien said. Thank goodness they attended the same school. He could at least be assured of seeing Marinette in classes.

Or even _in between_ classes…

She looked at him suspiciously. “What’s that grin for?”

“What grin?” Adrien asked innocently, hurriedly wiping said grin away.

Marinette’s eyes narrowed. “What are you planning?”

“Nooooothing,” Adrien said, deliberately dragging the word out as he jumped down off the bed. He walked over to where his boxers were laying on the chair and pretended not to notice her penetrating stare as he pulled them on.

Inwardly, he was giggling like a little kid and he was positive she knew it.

“Right,” Marinette said slowly, not looking like she believed him for a second. She pulled her shorts and her red top back on, then fluffed out her hair with her fingers. It made her look extremely sexy. Adrien couldn’t resist.

Marinette came easily into his arms, giggling. She kissed him back, running her hands over his shoulders and down his back. The light scratch of her nails sent shivers up Adrien’s spine. He couldn’t wait until he no longer had to worry about photographic evidence and she could leave marks on him.

“Now that we’re dating, what’s your policy on visible marks?” he asked huskily, kissing her neck.

“Naughty _Chaton_….” Marinette murmured. “It’s been killing you, hasn’t it?”

“… Maybe.”

“Go ahead, but just one,” Marinette said, tipping her chin up.

Adrien grinned and instantly picked out a spot. He started sucking gently, worrying at her skin with his tongue and teeth. Marinette gasped at the sensation, shivering against him. Her hands found their way into his hair and scratched at his scalp, which she knew he loved.

When he pulled away a few minutes later, there was a big red mark on the right side of her throat, perfectly positioned so that it would still be visible over a shirt collar. He knew that it would develop into a bruise overnight and couldn’t help a smug grin.

“Oh my god, you’re such a cat,” Marinette said, rolling her eyes. “Marking your territory.”

“Well, you are mine,” Adrien said, smirking.

She rolled her eyes again but, he noticed, she didn’t refute him this time, just called out for her transformation. Adrien pulled on his jeans and shirt and then followed suit.

“See you tomorrow,” Ladybug said. He was pleased to note that he could even see the top of the bruise peeking out above her suit.

“Good night, Bugaboo,” Chat said. He glanced at the doors, then back at her.

She knew what he was thinking and stepped closer. “It doesn’t really count if no one can see it, right?”

“Right,” Chat agreed eagerly.

Ladybug smiled, leaned in and gently kissed him goodbye, pulling away before either of them could deepen it. She flashed him a breathtaking smile and then went to the door, leaping off the balcony.

Chat watched her go just like he had before… but this time, his genuine smile stretched from ear to ear.


	27. Blushing

After saying a polite goodbye to the Gorilla, Adrien climbed out of the car. He shut the door and watched the car drive away. As soon as it turned a corner, a little bit of the usual tension he carried in his shoulders eased.

“Hi Adrien.”

And there went the rest of it. He relaxed fully even as he turned around, a smile already in place. Marinette was standing right behind him, holding two cups of coffee and a little brown paper bag. His eyes zeroed in on the bag instantly.

“Is that breakfast?” he asked eagerly.

Marinette looked somewhere between amused and annoyed. “I said _hi_.”

“Uh… sorry. Hi,” he said sheepishly, wondering if he should lean in and kiss her cheek. She’d probably forgive him right away, but she also might see through the plan…

She just shook her head. “Yes, it’s breakfast. I got Maman to give me two muffins this morning. I thought we could share.”

“Sure!” Adrien said, delighted. “Thanks, My Lady.”

“You can’t call me that outside the suit,” she scolded. “If Alya hears that, we’re screwed.”

“Oh, right. I forgot,” Adrien said. Alya, Nino _and _Chloé had all been close enough to Ladybug and Chat Noir to overhear the silly nicknames they had for each other. He’d have to watch himself.

Marinette’s face softened into a smile. “Silly kitty.”

“Hey, you just said -”

“I know what I just said. Now come on. Breakfast awaits,” she said, holding up the cups and bag.

There was no room at the picnic tables outside, so they went to the classroom. It was fifteen minutes before class began, so they were the first to arrive. Marinette sat down at her usual place. Adrien took a seat beside her and leaned his head on his hand as she opened the bag.

“I’m really glad it’s you, Marinette,” he said. “I realized last night that I never told you that.”

Marinette smirked. “You mean you’re glad you didn’t have to choose between me and Ladybug?”

“Well, that too,” Adrien said, accepting one of the coffees and a piece of muffin. He wasn’t surprised to find that the coffee was made up exactly the way he liked it, with plenty of sugar and cream. He looked at her with what he was sure were literal hearts in his eyes.

“I’m really glad too,” Marinette said, sipping her own coffee, seemingly unaware she’d just made his whole morning. “I feel like for once my ladybug luck really came through.”

They continued talking quietly and sharing the rest of their small meal. Marinette occasionally broke off little pieces of the muffin for Tikki, but Plagg adamantly refused to take anything - until Marinette revealed she’d put a chunk of cheese in the bag too, just for him.

Now both Adrien _and_ Plagg were staring at Marinette with utter adoration.

“You’re amazing,” Adrien said, leaning closer to her.

“Flatterer,” Marinette said, cheeks pinking, but she leaned in too. They kissed slowly, and Adrien _reveled_ in the fact that for once their kiss wasn’t hidden behind anonymity or closed doors.

They could do this now. They could kiss anywhere they wanted, just like a normal couple. It was _thrilling_.

Neither one of them noticed the classroom door opening.

“Oh my god!” Alya screamed.

Adrien jerked away in surprise. Marinette did too. Both of them turned to see that Alya and Nino and a bunch of their other classmates standing there staring at them - though thankfully, neither Chloé nor Lila were part of the group. Adrien instantly turned bright red.

“Al-Alya!” Marinette stuttered.

“We were trying to figure out why the door was closed,” Nino said, grinning broadly. “You guys should’ve like, put a sock on the door.”

Adrien sputtered and blushed even harder, seeing Marinette turn a similar color out of the corner of his eye. He carefully didn’t look at her, sure that both of them would combust on the spot if he did.

“I can’t believe you’re dating!” Rose gushed. “That’s so romantic.”

“When did it start? How many dates have you been on?” Mylène asked.

“Have you done _it_ yet?” Kim asked with a smirk and a leer, and Adrien choked.

“Hey now, that’s none of your business and you’re going to make them both explode,” Alya said, swatting at Kim.

Adrien finally found his voice and said, “We’ve only been on one date and it got interrupted by an akuma attack.”

“But yes, we’re dating,” Marinette finished, cheeks still red.

“Aww,” Rose cooed.

Alya swaggered over, beaming like the cat that ate the canary. “Stay,” she said when Adrien started to stand. “I’m feeling magnanimous, so you can have her today. We might have to work out a sharing schedule.”

“I’m not a piece of furniture,” Marinette said, exasperated.

“You don’t wanna sit beside me?” Adrien asked, giving her the kitty eyes, and Marinette melted.

“Of course I do,” she said, taking his hand and giving him a sweet smile in return. He lost his grip on the kitty eyes and couldn’t help smiling back.

“Oh god, they’re gonna be _that_ couple,” Alix said in dismay.

“It’s disgusting and cute all at the same time,” Alya said with a happy sigh, snapping a picture of them as she slid into Adrien’s spot.

“All of you shut up,” Marinette said without taking her eyes off Adrien. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for three years. I’m savoring it.”

There were muttered agreements of “Fair” from all over the room. None of them had any idea Adrien had been waiting for this moment for just as long. He pulled Marinette’s hand up and gently kissed it, ignoring the squeals from the girls.

“Wanna get ice cream after school? My treat,” he whispered.

Marinette’s smile widened and she pulled her hand free to gently boop his nose with her index finger. “Actually, this time it’s _my_ treat.”


	28. You Are Beautiful

When the bell rang for lunch, everyone in their class jumped up. Adrien put his books away slowly, pretending that he didn’t notice the way that Lila was staring longingly at him. Mercifully, Alya and Rose hustled Lila out of the room before she could try to talk to him. 

He was pretty sure no one had mentioned this morning’s development to Chloé or, more importantly, to Lila, and he really hoped that no one did. Adrien did _not_ want to deal with _that _today - or any other day, for that matter. The longer he could put it off, the better.

As he and Marinette walked out into the hallway, he hooked his arm through hers and gently tugged her in the opposite direction of the cafeteria. Marinette came willingly enough, though she shot him a confused look. Adrien merely smiled as the halls swiftly emptied - most students going into the cafeteria or outside - and tugged her towards their destination…

The janitor’s closet.

“What are you doing?” Marinette said, utterly bemused as he pushed her into the closet, followed her inside, and then pulled the door shut behind them. It was a slightly tighter fit with two of them, but there was enough space for what Adrien wanted to do. He took their backpacks and set them aside, then looked her in the eye.

“I seem to remember a certain lady sent me a text a few days ago,” Adrien drawled. “Let me refresh your memory. It was a pretty naughty picture and an open invitaton to _lick_ anytime I wanted to?”

Marinette’s mouth fell open, but no sound emerged. She turned an even brighter shade of red than she had that morning. Her mouth closed and then opened again, but still she couldn’t seem to say anything.

Adrien grinned and backed her up against the wall, fingering the scarf she was wearing around her neck. The pale blue fabric hid the bruise he’d left her on her throat pretty well; he couldn’t blame her for that considering how nosey their classmates had been, but for now he gently pulled the scarf free. At the sight of his mark on her skin, his catlike instincts surged.

“You almost drove me crazy that day,” he admitted, pressing his lips to the bruise. “Listening to your voice… hearing you pant and moan and _beg_ me… I wanted to demand your name and location so I could find you.”

Marinette shivered and finally found her voice. “If you’d asked, I probably would’ve told you,” she confessed. “I was _so _wet for you that day. Alya kept asking me what was wrong. I couldn’t still. She thought I was sick. I couldn’t exactly tell her I was horny.”

“I wish I’d known,” Adrien said huskily, though maybe it was better that he hadn’t. He would’ve been hardpressed not to make some kind of excuse so the two of them could leave class and have a quick fuck. He lightly scraped his teeth over the bruise and she gasped softly. 

“I wish you had too. It was fun talking on the phone, but it just didn’t feel the same. I wanted your hands on me, not mine,” Marinette said.

“Like this?” Adrien’s right hand found its way beneath the folds of her skirt and cupped her cunt. She wasn’t going commando today, but he could feel her heat through her panties. The fabric was already a little damp. He _loved_ that he had that effect on her.

“Yeah,” Marinette breathed, another shiver running through her. “Just like that.”

She started to put her arms around his neck, but Adrien backed off so that he could catch her wrists. He loosely bound them together with her scarf. Even in the dim light, he could see the way her eyes dilated when her wrists were tied. Her breathing quickened and she slowly licked her lips.

“What are you gonna do to me, Sir?” she asked, deliberately dropping her voice to make it come out low and sexy. Adrien’s already tight pants became significantly tighter. He pressed himself against her hip so that she could feel what she did to him.

“Welllllll,” he said, drawing the word out. “I thought…” He nipped at her earlobe. “I’d eat you out until you’re soaked…” He traced the shell of her ear with his tongue. “Then hold you up against the wall…” He blew on the wet skin. “And fuck you.”

“Shit,” Marinette whispered. 

“Is that a yes?” Adrien asked with a smirk, pulling back to look at her. 

Marinette nodded furiously. “Yes. Hell yes.”

“I thought so.” He dropped to his knees, gently pushing at her thighs. She obligingly widened her stance for easier access. Adrien pushed her black skirt up to reveal her green panties. 

He leaned in, pressed his nose to her slit and inhaling deeply. Her scent was so sweet and it was getting stronger with every passing second as her arousal increased. He mouthed at the fabric of her panties, wetting it with his saliva. She twitched when his tongue dragged over her clit, pressing the wet fabric against her sensitive skin.

“Adrien - Sir, I need to wear my underwear back to class,” Marinette hissed. Her thighs were trembling. “You’re going to soak it.”

Adrien smirked into her thigh. “I’m soaking it? Are you sure about that?” He licked at her clit again.

Marinette whined, her hips bucking. “Sir, I _mean_ it.”

“What, you can’t go commando again?” Adrien asked playfully.

“Can you control yourself if I do?” she asked dryly.

Okay, that was fair. Adrien sighed and stopped teasing, reaching up to hook his fingers into the sides of her panties and slowly pull them down around her knees. He didn’t lean back into her yet, but took a moment to admire her cunt. It really was a pretty sight.

“You are so beautiful,” he sighed, pushing her thighs wider apart still. Marinette squeaked as she was pressed against the wall and wobbled precariously. Adrien grabbed her bound wrists and guided them to his hair to give her something to hold onto. 

And then he spread her pussy, stuck his tongue out and licked right over her hole, and she ended up moaning inside. He smirked to himself and did it again, then slowly trailed his tongue up to make lazy circles around her clit. He was starting to learn what and how she liked it best, and he loved using that knowledge to tease her.

They had roughly forty-five minutes, and he intended to make _every minute_ count.


	29. Wet

The heavy sound of Marinette’s breathing filled the janitor’s closet. When Adrien paused and glanced up at her, he saw that she was biting down on her bottom lip to keep from making any noise. Her eyes were closed and her head was tipped back against the wall, her chest heaving and her cheeks pink.

“Having fun?” Adrien asked wickedly.

Marinette opened her eyes and glared down at him. “You are the evillest black cat to walk the planet,” she said. 

“If you can still insult me, I must not be doing my job right,” Adrien drawled with a wicked smirk. He lightly brushed his thumb over her clit just to see her jump. He’d been teasing her for several minutes, and she was so wet she was dripping. His lower face was coated in her juices.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Marinette said, biting her lower lip again.

“Maybe I should tease you for the rest of the hour and not let you come,” Adrien mused, realizing how much he liked that idea. “I’d like to see you squirming in class. Unable to think of anything but your hot cunt and how much you want to come. Thinking about my lips, my fingers, my cock…” 

“Please, no,” Marinette blurted out. “Please, Sir, don’t do that to me. I_ need_ to come.”

“I’m not convinced,” Adrien said, doing his best to keep a straight face. “It would be a lot of fun to tease you in class… keep you revved up for that ice cream after school.” He blew gently across her cunt, and she squealed and squirmed.

“No, I’m ready now. I’m_ really_ ready. Please fuck me now,” Marinette begged. “I want to feel you inside me, Sir. I want you. _Please_.”

Maybe someday Adrien would be able to steel himself against how beautiful she sounded when she was pleading, but today was not that day. He stood up and leaned in to kiss her, cutting off her begging. She kissed him back hard, letting him feel her desperation. 

As much fun as it would be to wind her up and then leave her hanging - and he did intend to follow through on that one day, because the thought of Marinette being turned on all day and forbidden from touching herself was _way_ too tempting - he wanted to fuck her too much right now.

He kept kissing her as he reached down and thumbed open his pants. He pushed them and his boxers down, leaving him naked from the waist down. Adrien gripped Marinette’s hips and lifted her up, enjoying her squeak of surprise, and pressed himself between her thighs. He grounded his cock against her core.

“Oh, oh yeah, right there,” Marinette breathed, wiggling against him. She put her bound wrists behind his neck to better hold herself up.

“Right here?” Adrien said, freeing a hand to grasp his cock. He guided it to her hole; she was so wet and slippery that his cock never would’ve slid in otherwise. 

Marinette moaned as he pushed inside of her, her back arching. That had the effect of pushing her breasts and nipples against his chest. Adrien shivered at the feeling and slid in the last inch or two, filling her completely. That brought them face-to-face, her knees to either side of his hips.

“You feel so good,” Adrien whispered.

“So do you,” Marinette whispered back, clenching down around him. “Now fuck me before the bell rings, _Chaton_.”

Adrien obliged, pulling out and then roughly pushing back in. It was a little more tricky fucking her up against the wall, because he had to spare enough focus to remember not to drop her, but it was also a lot hotter knowing that she was completely at his mercy. 

He fucked her hard, setting a fast pace that made Marinette have to bite her lip again to hold back her whimpers and moans. Adrien was in the same boat; he occupied his mouth with her neck, pressing sloppy kisses to her throat before finding his way back to her lips. He kissed her frantically as he pushed in fully, pinning her to the wall.

His right hand found its way between them, sliding into her cunt. Marinette convsuled with a muffled squeal as he found her clit, rubbing over the sensitive place with deliberate pressure. She came, her body shaking and shuddering, and Adrien only need to fuck her a few more times before he came too.

His legs and arms were tired from holding up her weight. Adrien slid slowly to his knees, bringing Marinette with him, until he was kneeling and she was sitting on her butt. They both gasped quietly for breath, leaning against each other and trying not to giggle too loudly when they caught each other’s eye.

At last, Marinette lifted her wrists above his head and leaned back. “That was amazing. Naughty, but amazing.”

“I couldn’t help myself,” Adrien said, placing a gentle kiss on her hands before moving to untie her. 

“It’s a good thing we didn’t get caught,” Marinette said. 

Adrien contemplated the look on Gabriel Agreste’s face if he received a phone call from the school that his son had been caught having sex with another student in a closet. It would mean that Adrien would be grounded for the rest of forever, and probably pulled out of school, but it would also be hilarious.

“Yeah, we probably shouldn’t do this again,” Adrien admitted.

Marinette pulled her hands free and leaned forward to cup his face. “It was fun, though,” she said softly. “The thought of being caught was really exciting.”

“And the thought of being teased and left on the edge all day?” Adrien asked.

“Wow, you’re really not going to let that go,” she said, amused. “I guess we could try it… but you better be prepared for me to jump you the second we’re alone.”

“Oh my god, that sounds horrible, we better not do it after all,” Adrien said, perfectly deadpan.

Marinette swatted his shoulder. “Pervert.”

“Your pervert,” Adrien pointed out.

Her smile softened. “Damn straight. Now, what did you do with my panties?”

“Uh…” Adrien had to look around. He vaguely remembered getting her to step out of her panties at one point, and tossing them somewhere over his shoulder. He mimed flinging something over said shoulder and followed the logical course, finally finding them draped over a mop.

He stood up to grab them. “They’re not too wet.”

“You’re a menace.” Marinette sighed as he handed them over, feeling the damp fabric. “I guess I’m going commando again.”

“Really?” Adrien said, trying not to sound too intrigued, and she gave him a look.

“Behave yourself, Kitty,” she said, holding her hands out. Adrien grabbed them and gently pulled her to her feet, whereupon she flicked his nose.

“Rude!” he said, wrinkling his nose.

“Hands to yourself in public,” Marinette said, sounding like she was trying not to laugh as she set about fixing her clothing.

Adrien followed suit, pulling his boxers and pants up. He straightened his shirt and ran his hands through his hair in a vain attempt to look like his girlfriend hadn’t been clutching at it while he teased her. He’d probably have to duck into the bathroom to wash his face and hands, he realized. He looked at Marinette.

“Bathroom?” he asked.

“Yeah, definitely,” Marinette said, draping her scarf across her shoulder and grabbing their bags. “We’ve got - shit, ten minutes before class. Let’s make it fast.”


	30. Going Out With a Bang

When the bell finally rang to end the school day, Marinette turned to Adrien and asked, “Do you mind if Alya and Nino join us?”

“Not at all,” Adrien said. He gathered up his things and swung his bag over his back, following Marinette, Alya and Nino out of the room.

It had warmed up considerably but was still chilly, and he was happy for the excuse to wrap an arm around Marinette’s shoulders as they walked. Alya kept shooting them sly looks, a delighted smirk on her face. Adrien could tell that there was something she was itching to say and finally, she came out with it.

“So, did Marinette tell you the truth about your scarf?”

“Alya!” Marinette said.

Adrien frowned. “The truth about my scarf?” He touched the blue scarf around his throat. “What about it?”

Marinette scowled at Alya and reluctantly said, “I made that for you. It was a gift from me, not your dad.”

“Wait… what?” Adrien said, shocked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You were really happy you got a gift from him. I didn’t want to ruin that,” Marinette mumbled, looking away.

Adrien looked between her and Alya before glancing at Nino, who gave him a small nod.

And suddenly, it all made sense. He had always wondered why that one year, his father had deviated from his typical gift of a lame pen. Something about the whole situation had never added up - the scarf was excellent quality, but clearly homemade, and that had never been Gabriel’s first choice - but Adrien had been too happy about it to really think it over.

It also explained why Alya had asked him to wear the scarf to his first date with Marinette. He’d thought at the time it was so that he and Marinette would match, but no. Alya had probably been hoping Marinette would find the courage to say something during their date.

In retrospect, Adrien kind of hoped that Alya and Plagg never got the chance to scheme together.

“I can’t believe you never told me,” he said to Marinette. “I love this scarf, and all along I thought it was from my dad… when really, it was from _you_.”

“I’m sorry,” Marinette said. “Knowing what I know now, I should’ve said something.”

He could understand why she hadn’t, though. Adrien shook his head. “It’s okay. I just… love it even more now that I know it came from you.”

“See?” Alya said smugly, nudging Marinette in the ribs.

“Babe, I think they’re having a moment,” Nino said, catching Alya’s arm and gently steering her away.

“Oh fine,” Alya grumbled.

“Just for the record,” Marinette said once their friends were out of earshot, “do you also remember getting a Valentine’s card that wasn’t signed?”

“Yeah, why -” Adrien stopped as Marinette turned pink. “Wait, that was from _you_?”

She nodded. “I saw your valentine in the garbage and I thought… well, I thought maybe it was for me. So… I answered it.”

Adrien laughed. “Oh my god. That valentine _was_for you! Well, the _other_ you,” he amended quietly. “And I thought maybe Ladybug sent mine… guess I wasn’t wrong.”

Marinette smiled. “I _did_ get better at signing things for the record,” she said. “I’m not sure how the scarf mix-up happened, though. I definitely signed that one.”

“I can guess,” Adrien said with a sigh. Nathalie had given him the package, so it wasn’t a stretch to think she was the culprit. He wished she hadn’t done that. In the end, she may well have prolonged how long he and Marinette had suffered.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. You know the truth,” Marinette said, leaning up to kiss his cheek. “And I’ll give you all my presents in person now, not through a third party.”

“There’s more presents?” Adrien said, eyes lighting up. Marinette’s gifts were always sweet and thoughtful. She put so much effort into each one, unlike other people in Adrien’s life. He really wanted to know what she would make for him now that they knew the truth.

For some reason, Marinette blushed again and averted her eyes. “There will be for your birthday and stuff,” she said vaguely, grabbing his hand and pulling him along.

Adrien was still momentarily stuck on the idea of _more_ presents, but he snapped out of it when Marinette stopped before the counter. André didn’t seem to be out today, so they were settling for café ice cream instead. He picked out a small sundae and Marinette got a cone. Marinette paid, and then they joined Alya and Nino at some picnic tables.

“This is so nice,” Alya said, licking her cone. “I’ve been waiting to go on a double date with you guys for forever. I love that we can go out together now!”

“Is spending time with me alone really that much of a hardship?” Nino asked dryly.

“Aw, you know I like you,” Alya said, patting her boyfriend’s hand.

It really was nice, Adrien reflected. There had always been something awkward about the four of them hanging out together before, but he’d never been sure what it was. Now, he knew that awkwardness had existed entirely between him and Marinette.

He was so happy that the two of them had figured things out… and even happier that he hadn’t had to give up Marinette _or_ Ladybug. He could have them both, because they were just one incredible girl.

“Dude, stop with the heart eyes,” Nino said, biting into a chunk of chocolate.

“I think it’s adorable,” Marinette said, giving Adrien one of those soft smiles that never ceased to make his heart flutter.

Nino mumbled something around his spoonful of ice cream that Adrien chose not to hear. Instead, he opted to lean over and give Marinette a quick, sticky kiss. He didn’t even mind that Alya whipped out her phone and snapped a picture.

“So cute!” Alya said, beaming.

“Send that to me!” Marinette said.

“And me,” Adrien said.

Alya nodded, tapping on her phone. “Done!”

Marinette’s phone chimed and she pulled it out. Adrien leaned over to look. He had to smile at the sight of the photo on her screen. Alya had caught them mid-kiss, and both of them were smiling. It really was a cute photo.

“It’s almost like we were made for each other,” Adrien said, reaching out to bat lazily at the black kitty charm hanging from her phone. Marinette giggled and turned to him, pulling her phone out of reach.

Her blue eyes twinkled as she playfully tapped his nose. “Yeah, imagine that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the kind compliments and kudos! This fic was a lot of fun to write and I hope you all enjoyed it just as much.


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